You know an email is going to be good when it starts with this subject line:

I like to joke with Lindsay at Whole Foods that she has become my fruit dealer of sorts. Two months ago it was a case of ataulfos mangoes, last month it was a set of pineapples, and just as I was jonsing for my next fix, my supplier came through offering up another bounty.

This month’s pick?  Whole Trade Guarantee mangos from Haiti.

The Whole Foods “Whole Trade Guarantee” means the mangos are from ethical trade, are grown in sound environmental practices and the farmers get more money back in their pockets, so everyone wins.

I have big plans for these bad boys. Starting with an idea I got from this pin the other weekend.

.

Looks good, right?

(Original recipe can also be found HERE).

I followed the recipe for the corn cakes as directed.

The recipe was fairly simple to follow. The only thing I had to pick up from the store out of the ordinary were fresh ears of corn, but I’m sure frozen corn would have worked as well.

Check these babies out.

And went my own route for the salsa on top.

The secret ingredient? Mango. Of course.

In the mix was:

• 1/2 yellow onion
• 1 Whole Foods Mango
• 1 tomato
• 1 sweet pepper
• 1 avocado
• 1 can black beans
• lemon juice
• chili powder
• cumin
• salt and pepper

I let the juices soak together while I cooked the corn cakes, then scooped 2-3 heaping spoonfuls of the salsa over two corn cakes for my serving of dinner.

The corn cakes were slightly crunchy and dense, while the chilled salsa was sweet and refreshing over top. The two items balanced each other out perfectly. This was the ideal summer dish, especially in the Florida heat!

Two thumbs up.

For dessert I had a serving of peanut butter ice cream from the freezer.

Win a Case of Mangoes!

Yep, here’s another change to win an entire case of Whole Trade Guarantee mangoes (oh the possibilities of what you can do with these! )

To enter, leave a comment below with your favorite summer fruit-themed dish by Thursday morning (5/24) for a chance to win* I will draw a random winner for my Thursday morning post!

Good Luck!!

*Please note that the winner must live near a Whole Foods in order to collect his/her prize.

New food find alert!

The lemon hummus caught my attention during my mad stroll through Publix last night. (p.s. that’s the last time I’ll be hitting up Publix after swim practice… unless I want to see my grocery bill triple in the coming months.) The lemon lover in me had to try it.

It was a great addition to my snack platter lunch plate today which included everything from pita slices to leftover edamame to carrots, tomatoes, and peach slices. Yum.

The fresh lemon-y hummus was very refreshing. The lemon flavor was very faint, yet still enough to let me know it was there. When paired with the salty pita or tomato, the combination was divine. It’s the perfect hummus for summer.

Class of 2003

Last Friday I was invited to my 10 year high school reunion group on Facebook.

Man, that made me feel old.

Luckily we’re not quite at 10 years just yet. Our former class president decided to start the group a year early to get a little buzz going about the possibility of a future event. It worked. Over the course of 3 days the group has grew from the original 38 members when I first joined to over 275+ when I checked today. That’s not bad considering our graduating class was only made up of about 320 or so.

The group already feels like a class reunion in itself. All these people that I forgot even existed are coming out of the woodwork and it’s been fun to reconnect with them (or, you know, Facebook stalk them to see what they’ve been up to).

(I did throw awesome parties )

I had to get my yearbook out to jog my memory on a few names and faces. One part of me feels like high school just happened yesterday, while the other part thinks back to all I’ve accomplished since then and I swear it feels like an eternity. Some people have changed and look completely different, while others have stayed exactly the same.

What do you think? Do I look the same? different?

I didn’t stay in touch with too many friends post-high school. I have two or three girlfriends that I still talk with on a semi-regular basis, but that’s it. The truth is, I’m not sure I really had many friends to begin with back then. I hung out with a group of people that intimidated me, and even seeing them interact on the reunion Facebook page today, they still intimidate me. It was something I dealt with in high school, but once I graduated, I knew I didn’t want to anymore. So I moved on. I distanced myself from that group and went on to discover myself in college.

High school was a tricky time in my life. My emotions were on high and I was oversensitive to everything that was being said and done around me. It’s something we all go through, and I know it’s part of growing up, but that doesn’t mean I would go back and want to do it all over again. No, thank you.

College was fun, though. I would do that again. Whoever says “high school is the best time of your life” obviously never went to college.

(It makes me smile that Scooby is mentioned on my senior tribute page )

Even though I didn’t stay in touch with too many people from high school, I would still like to attend the reunion next year. I’m a stronger person than I was back then, and even if I did start to feel intimidated, I know I can push past it. Because, unlike back then when people tell you it will get better but you don’t believe them, this time i know for a fact it does. I know there’s more to life than high school. I know that graduating was just the beginning and that life doesn’t truly start until you leave. And I know that what they think doesn’t matter – I’m my own person and that’s what’s important.

Three cheers for the class of ’03!!

Well, it’s been a while since I’ve worn these.

Hello, cycling shoes. I’ve missed you.

That’s right – I pulled the cycling shoes from the depths of my closet, loaded my bike in my car, and headed out for my first bike ride since October. I still can’t believe I went so long without taking my bike out. My training schedule was so wrapped around improving my running times (hello brand new half marathon and marathon PRs!) that cycling and swimming definitely slipped through the cracks. I’ve already added swimming back to my schedule (and am starting to see improvements), so the next step was the bike.

Hello, Blue. Good to see you, too.

I really have Courtney to thank for getting me back on the bike. She sent me a text message on Friday that went something along the lines of “Fix your bike – we’re riding Tuesday morning. No excuses.” Can’t argue there. So I fixed my bike and met her bright and early at the trailhead.

We both agreed to keep it easy this morning – no sprints, no garmins, and no hard pushing. We didn’t even have a set distance, we just rode. I think we ended up covering 14-ish miles and covered some good gossip in between.

This ride wasn’t crazy or thrilling, but it was still important. It was the first of the tri – season and I’m sure the first of many, many more to come. We all have to start somewhere. Baby steps.

After our ride I was starving. I hightailed it back home and toasted some leftover pancakes from the freezer.

I topped the pancakes with some chocolate PB2 (’twas love at first taste), fresh strawberries, and some Kashi Go Lean Crisp.

Quick breakfasts like these are why making extra pancakes and freezing them is a genius idea. Genius!

Now I just need to work on replenishing my stash.

This is what happens when you stop at Publix on the way home from swim practice for the tomatoes and milk to make the original dinner you planned…

you realize actually making said dinner requires work and a bag of steam-in-a-bag edamame and sushi sound so much easier. Pure laziness at its finest.

In my defense, I had a reason to be lazy. Swim class wore me out tonight!  blame Mary!

Mary is a recent addition to our swim practice team and, I have to admit, it’s nice to have a partner who is semi at my level. Everyone else is fast (really, really fast!) and there’s no way I can keep up! But, Mary’s more like me – a newbie who is still trying to find her pace in the water. Coach Courtney gave us a few drills to work on for the first part of practice, then had us raise our heart rates with 6 fast 100s with limited rest in between.

Mary is just a hair faster than I am, so I let her be my pacer for the “fast” 100s. I kept at her feet for both laps, and when we had our first rest I thought the clock was wrong. Our first 100 was 1:30 – that’s about 20 seconds faster than my “fast” 100s were averaging last year. Whoa. I had to ask Mary to make sure we did, in fact, do two complete laps because that didn’t sound right. We had and we also managed to average around 1:35 – 1:40 for the remainder of the 100s.

Well, look at that, looks like these practices are paying off – I’m getting faster. It helps to have a swimming partner at my level to really push me. Just as in running, swimming buddies are the best!

After practice my plan was to make a new Pinterest find for dinner, but I knew that was a goner the second I pulled into Publix for ingredients. At that point I was on the edge of hangry and grabbing sushi just sounded so much better (and easier). All I had to do was throw the edamame in the microwave for 5 minutes and dinner was done.

Plus, I’ve been craving sushi. The brown rice, tuna sushi worked just fine.

And their steam-in-a-bag edamame is top notch.

Before practice I had a packet of almonds and some dried apple.

I was craving something refreshing for dessert. The summer heat has me craving fresh fruit and cold chocolate. I had a fresh mango and a chocolate covered piece of toffee.

Perfecto.

I see a book and a bed in my near future.

Good Night!

Friday night the ingredients made a killer pizza.

Saturday afternoon they made a filling omelet.

And today they made a tasty quesadilla.

It’s only a shame the quesadilla used the last of it. I’ve grown a little obsessed with this combination (obviously) and could easily discover a dozen or so other ways to consume them. Deeee-licious.

With fresh carrot sticks on the side.

Lunch is served.

Reading List

I finished “50 Shades Darker” this morning. And – just as I said on Saturday – it was so, so, so much better than the first one. The storyline was what pulled me in this time around (not so much just the *cough* “good stuff”) and I found myself getting all giggle-y with the ending. The third book has already been downloaded, ready to be read. Five bucks says I have it finished by Friday.

And just to mix it up a little bit, I’m starting “The Art of Racing In The Rain” after I finish the 50 Shades trilogy.

The book is the first up for discussion in the book club a few friends and I recently started in the area. The story is told through the voice of the dog and is about the love the dog shares for his owner, as his yearning to be a man so he can help with his owner’s struggles. I can’t wait.

After I finish “The Art of Racing,” I downloaded “Running of the Bride: My Frenzied Quest to Tie the Knot, Tear Up the Dance Floor, and Figure Out Why My 15 Minutes of Fame Included Commercial Breaks” <– longest book title, ever.

This one is just for fun. I like reading about other bride’s crazy experiences in planning their weddings, it reminds me that I’m not alone.

What’s on your reading list?

Whoa! You guys are amazing! Thank you for all the comments on the Steak the Cove 5k race recap. It was one of the most empowering races I’ve ever run and I was more than thrilled to share the experience. Definitely a race worth remembering.

After the race I hightailed it home, ate an un-pictured evol breakfast burrito, blogged, showered, and grabbed an apple on my way out the door to St. Pete.

The super, amazing Caroline took the lead this month for the Tampa Bay Lady Bloggers and arranged this month’s meet up at Hooker Tea Co. in St. Pete.

I LOVE Hooker Tea Co! We used to have one in downtown Tampa, but it closed down about 6 months ago and I miss it dearly. It was a great place to order a tea and just work for hours on end. They had a great selections of teas, a great staff, and a cozy atmosphere that’s best to just sit and chill. The original St. Pete location is just as amazing – if not better! – than the downtown location and won extra bonus points yesterday for being super accommodating of our 12 person meet-up. We took over our own section of the tea place and spent an hour+ discussing all things blog related in Tampa Bay.

I asked one of the baristas (or are they called something else in a tea place?) for recommendations on a light and fruity tea. She suggested the “Good Morning Sunshine,” which was a minty green tea that smelled wonderful. I ordered it iced and downed it so quickly that I ended up ordering a second before we left.

I was also starving when we arrived (the earlier apple did nothing for my hunger). I ordered the spinach and artichoke quiche (delicious!) with a mini chocolate chip muffin and orange slices.

It hit the spot!

Tampa Bay ladies rock!

If you’re in the Tampa Bay area and would like to be a part of our next meet-up, check out the Facebook page – http://www.facebook.com/TampaBayLadyBloggers – for more info

And if running a naked 5k in Kissimmee and attending an awesome blogger meet-up in St. Pete weren’t enough for one day…. a group of us met up at Bern’s Steakhouse for a dinner of dessert in honor of Courtney’s 26th birthday!

I love Bern’s desert room! It truly is an experience just in itself. The dessert room takes up the entire upstairs of Bern’s and is sectioned off into private dining alcoves. Derek and I came here last year to celebrate his birthday and I’ve looking for an excuse to return. Courtney’s birthday seemed like the perfect fit. There’s nothing better than celebrating a birthday with good friends and good dessert… who needs dinner anyways?

I was fading fast at this point and had originally just ordered a cup of Bern’s famous coffee (they roast their own beans on site every morning and it’s out of this world). But, then everyone started ordering “fancy” coffee drinks that sounded amazing and persuaded me to order the same.

I played copy cat to Mary and ordered the “Mint Chocolate Coffee” which was coffee served with mint and chocolate liqueurs, it was heavenly.

The dessert menu was very overwhelming. So many options and everything sounded delicious. I decided I wanted something that was refreshing and not terribly heavy – ice cream was on my mind.

I ended up ordering the Peach Melba Sundae.

The sundae was large enough to feed a small family. I could only manage half of it.

I loved the fresh fruit and extra creamy homemade ice cream. The sundae was just what I was craving.

However, I was a teensy bit jealous about Marcus’ Bacon Brownie + Bacon Ice Cream trio.

Next time I’ll get that.

Happy Birthday, Courtney!!

I was so wiped after our dinner/dessert, that I crashed as soon as we got home. So sorry about not posting last night, but I could barely keep my eyes open!

This morning I ran 4 miles with Maddie (fully clothed – not quite as fun), then did the Tone it Up Summer Slim Workout 3 times while watching “The Pitch” (still not sure how I feel about the show, it’s kinda slow).

Breakfast was a bowl of cereal.

• 1/2 Wheat Chex
• Mini box of Cascadian Oats and Honey Granola (race swag)
• ricotta cheese
• mini chocolate chips
• fresh strawberries

I can’t believe it’s Monday already! The weekend flew by!

Have a great week everyone!

Here’s something I never thought I’d say… this morning I ran 3.1 miles. Naked.

Yes, naked. As in nothing on top and nothing on bottom – fully nude. It was… liberating. Probably one of the coolest experiences I’ve ever had and I’d do it again in a heart beat.

I first heard of the Streak the Cove 5K back in August (I even wrote a post about it’s sister race – the Bare Dare 5k). I had recruited Pete (the race director) to be on the Dr. Fitness and Fat Guy Show (I used to help them with their scheduling) and Pete and I became e-friends. He spoke so highly of the race that I put it on my calendar as a “maybe” for 2012. When I saw the date was fast approaching, I emailed Pete to tell him I was seriously considering it. He emailed back and offered a free race entry if I agreed to blog about it (as if I would NOT blog about something like this?!).

I registered, but was still nervous about the idea of running fully nude. I kept it as a “mystery race” because I still wasn’t 100% I would do it. I also knew I would be more comfortable going nude if I didn’t know anyone else there. Being naked in front of strangers sounded less terrifying than being naked in front of friends and family. This might be the first race where Derek jumped in and volunteered to be my spectator, and I told him know. Even the idea of Derek being there made me feel self conscious.

The days ticked by and the idea of doing the race seemed less and less intimidating. When my alarm went off this morning I jumped out of bed, got dressed, and headed to the race site just like any other race day.

My stomach was full of knots as I drove to the start (about an hour and a half drive from Tampa). I’m not sure I’ve ever been so nervous driving to a 5k before. I think part of me still believed I really wasn’t going to go through with it, that this race really wasn’t going to happen. I guess that part was the part that kept me throwing up.

I’d never been to a nudist resort before and I wasn’t sure what to expect. When I pulled up and saw the high bricked walls and gated entrance with security, I assumed I was in the right place. The guy at the entrance asked if I was pre-registered for the race, asked for my last name, then told me follow the sign for “event parking.” As soon as I entered, I was surrounded my mobile homes and trailers with multiple couples sitting outside enjoying breakfast. Some were nude, some weren’t. The whole placed reminded me of a KOA.

(source)

I parked and headed to the registration table still fully clothed. I gave my name, got a shirt, and was banded with a bright orange “age verified” bracelet. That part was easy, however, my nerves heightened as I noticed plenty of fully nude males with running shoes on, but not so many nude females. Most had shorts and a sports bra on, while some had just a sports bra on and nothing else or just shorts on and nothing else (well, except running shoes).

I knew going into this race that clothing was optional, meaning not everyone running was going to be fully nude. I sort of went in with an all-or-nothing mentality and decided I was doing this race fully nude or not at all. I knew once I got to the race start that my opinions would change, so I made sure to wear non-running clothes to the race. I had on a regular bra, a black cotton shirt, and white sweat pants with PINK on the butt and would fall to my knees if I attempted to run in them. In case I chickened out, nothing about this outfit was running approved.

I know myself well. As soon as I saw the other females in running shorts or sports bras, I panicked. I headed back to my car and began tearing it apart looking for something – anything – that I could run in. There was nothing. Damn it.

I sat in my car and took a few deep breaths. I saw a few fully nude women walk by with just their running shoes on, which made me feel oddly more comfortable about the idea of going nude myself. About 10 minutes until the start, I got out of my car and attempted to start to undress, but something about stripping down by my car didn’t feel right. I headed to the bathroom to ease myself into it.

There was a mirror in the bathroom and I knew if I was going to walk around naked outside, I’d have to see what everyone else was going to be seeing first. I stood in front of the mirror and took off my shirt, then my bra, then my bottoms. I took a deep breath and looked in the mirror. I told myself there was no need to be afraid and that I was beautiful. I was strong, confident, and I could do this. Then someone walked in and scared the crap out of me. This was it. Now or never.

I grabbed my clothes and walked outside. I’m not sure if I’ve ever been outside fully nude before, the feeling was… interesting. I felt exposed, but not as exposed as I assumed I would be. Why are we all so afraid to be naked? Is it really that big of a deal? A few guys walked by, but no one looked my way or said anything. They were going about their business, as was I. I took a breath. I could do this.

The walk to the start line was terrifying, but the closer I got, the more comfortable I began to feel in my nakedness. There were hundreds of runners – some nude, some not-so nude – standing around and talking and stretching just like they would before any other race. The normalcy of it all seemed to relax me. People were laughing, joking, and having fun. This was going to be a fun race.

It was crazy how comfortable I began to feel standing around, fully nude, waiting for the start. At that moment I was surrounded by hundreds of nude runners in all shapes and sizes that seemed to strip away my insecurities. I think what a lot of us fail to understand is that none of us look perfect naked. Well, mostly none of us. All of our bodies are so unique, so special, that we’re all “perfect” in our own ways. Honestly, I felt more confident standing around naked, surrounded by other naked women, than I usually do standing in the middle of the mall. These women that were owning their bodies were so inspiring, that they inspired me to own mine along with them. There was no shame – only happiness.

(photo credit: Pete Williams)

The countdown to the start began and we all piled around the start line. I stood near the front. They had announced that the top 20 female and male finishers would receive a special prize and my goal became to finish in the top 20.

3…..2…..1….

We were off!

And I was running… naked. This was a first. It felt strange, but not terrible. Honestly, it felt no different than running with clothes on. Actually, at first, it was a teensy bit better. There were no shirts to tug on, shorts to stop from riding up, and no uncomfortably tight sports bra strap digging into me. It was freeing to run nude.

I kept waiting to feel some pain with “the girls,” but they felt fine. They didn’t bother me the entire race. Three cheers for small boobs! They do have their moments sometimes.

“The girls” may have been fine, but my inner thighs weren’t so lucky. Ouch. Major ouch. I’m not sure I’ve ever chafed so much in a race before.I wanted the race to be over quick just so the rubbing (and pain!) would stop.

It was a late race start (8:30am!), so by the time they said “go” the sun was already high in the sky. The race page recommended sunscreen – lots of sunscreen – so I made sure to liberally apply some SPF 30 before the start. It was hot, really hot, and I didn’t drink nearly enough water before the start. When I hit the only water station at mile 1.5, I paused to down two full cups of water.

Since i wasn’t planning to run this race for time, I decided to leave my garmin in the car. I felt like I was running blind. I had no idea how many miles I had gone, how many I had left or what pace I was running. I found a groove with what other people were running around me and sorta went with that. However, I think I went out too fast because I was fading fast at the first mile. I went from being the 3rd lead female to the 5th or 6th. I’m not sure I really cared at that moment. My thighs hurt too much to care.

It was a two-loop course of the resort. A lot of the community had come outside to cheer us on and it was nice to see so many sweet faces cheering us on from their driveways. I smiled and thanked all of them as we passed. When I made the last turn towards the finish I saw a decent size crowd at the finish, who encouraged me to sprint to the end.

With a finish time of 24:26, I was the 6th (7th?) female to cross the finish line and had earned a mini bottle of Streak the Cove wine.

Sweet.

There were no chips, no race bibs, and nothing about the timing of the race was official. It’s a fun run, where people come to just run – no strings attached.

There was a post-race party by the pool for finishers. I grabbed a couple of bottles of water and some handfuls of grapes. I was surprised that I wasn’t rushing back to my car to get dress. I was more kicking myself for not having a towel so I could enjoy a dip in the pool.

Runners gathered to discuss this and that about the course, conditions, etc. and, again, it felt like the finish of just about any other race.

This race was one-of-a-kind. I never thought I would feel comfortable enough in my own skin to stand fully nude in a crowd – let alone run a 5k! – but I was. The whole race I wasn’t thinking about what was wiggling, what was shaking, or even what I looked like. I felt confident. I felt beautiful. And that feeling was amazing.

I would highly suggest everyone running at least one naked 5k in their racing career. Think of it as a bucket list race. Please DO NOT tell me that “no one wants to see that” Gah – I swear if one more person says that to me… but, you’re sorta right, ONLY instead of “no one wants to see that” it’s “no one cares about seeing that” because THEY DON’T! There were runners of all shapes and sizes out there today and everyone was cheering everyone equally. It was peaceful, encouraging, and inspiring.

I can promise you that I will be rocking my Streak the Cove 5k shirt in the future.

For a nude race, they do provide a pretty cute race shirt. I know this one will be a favorite in my collection.

Have you ever done a nude race before? Would you?

Good morning!

I did something a little different for a Saturday morning.

First I ate.

Hot buckwheat cereal with raisins, apple, PB2, and cinnamon.

And then I went to the gym (and not for a run!).

It was actually nice taking my time getting ready to head out the door. I made breakfast, had a cup of tea, and watched the season finale of Grey’s Anatomy (yep, totally cried during some scenes).

My gym’s morning spin class schedule is awful. Well, not awful. Just inconvenient. I would like to take more spin classes during the week, but my morning options are limited to 5:15am (super, super early) or 8:30am (too late). If they just offered a 6:30am or 7:00am class I’d be golden, but no go. Boo.

I know, wah, wah goes the cry baby. If I wanted it bad enough I’d wake up for the 5:15am class. Gulp. Maybe.

Anyways, last night I checked the schedule to see if they had any Saturday classes (love that my weekend training schedule isn’t tied up in long runs at the moment!!) and they had one at 8:30. Score! So I decided to do something I haven’t done in months – I took a spin class.

It felt great to get back on the bike. My heart was pumpin’, I was sweatin’ up a storm, and my legs were spinning with the rhythm. Why don’t I take these classes more often? Oh, right…

The instructor took us on a Vegas themed ride today. At the beginning of the class he walked around with a deck of cards that sealed our fate for today’s ride. He had 5 of us select a card from the deck and each number or face card that we drew represented which interval we would do during the ride. He also had a Vegas inspired playlist, which included – you guessed it! – Poker Face by Lady Gaga.

I love when spin classes have themes. I think that’s what makes them fun, especially when the instructor is really in to it.

After the spin class, I hopped on the treadmill and knocked out three miles. It wasn’t something I was planning to do, but the spin class got me so pumped up, that I knew I had to sneak a brick in there. The run actually wasn’t that bad. I started at 6.5, then moved to 7.0 because my legs felt good. It was a good morning to sweat.

Also, I’m not sure I’ve ever been to the gym on a Saturday morning and was surprised with how packed it was! I loved that so many people are inspired to workout on the weekends.

When I returned home I made myself a post-workout snack to hold me over until lunch. A little bowl of ricotta with strawberry jam and Kashi Go Lean Crisp.

Yum.

My brought my road bike in from the garage and my first task this morning is to fix the flat tire, then I’m taking it in to the shop for a tune up. Can’t wait to get back on the road with it!

Have a great Saturday everyone!

Wine.

Homemade pizza

(Publix Italian 5-grain dough + pesto + onions + spinach + sundried tomatoes + goat cheese + shrimp)

Correction. AMAZING homemade pizza.

Fro-yo.

And a sexy man who wants to marry me.

Good NIght!

My (very) long term goal is to one day run a marathon in all 50 states (plus DC). Even if this goal takes me 50 years – I WILL do it. Originally my plan was just to do a race in every state, but my ego got the best me and I decided to take the full marathon challenge. Go big or go home, right?

Well, I was on such a high after running Flying Pig (actually, I think I’m still coming down from that high), that I thought it would be fun to find a cute way to commemorate the process of hitting each state. My first idea was to purchase a large map of the U.S. (think of the maps that hang on the walls in elementary schools) and cutting the bibs into the shape of the state and piecing it together as a puzzle on the map as each race was completed. I still really like this idea, but it’s just not very practical. Problem number one – where would we hang said humongous map? Ummm…. over the couch? Not sure that was going to work.

Then I had an idea of doing a smaller map and incorporating the medals somehow (especially since my medal hanger is officially out of control in the second bedroom). I still wasn’t 100% sure how this would work, but I started browsing Etsy for inspiration.

And I found this.

And I had an idea.

The custom map print was originally intended to mark family members across the U.S. I messaged the seller and asked if there was a way to have races instead. She loved the idea and said absolutely. I sent her my stats and she sent me the proof.

I loved it.

The seller ( HappyLandings) had the proof ready that afternoon and shipped it the next day. She was incredibly sweet and worked really fast, plus her work is good. I’d recommend her 10 times over.

When the print arrived I immediately framed it (frame from ikea) and hung it on the wall in the living room.

I love how the blue pops on our green walls.

(it pops more in person. the lighting in our place blows.)

Of course, Derek saw it and his first question was “what are you going to do when you run more races?” Good point. I don’t have an answer. Maybe wait a couple of races and then purchase another one? Write the times in with black ink until then? I didn’t say this was a thought out plan. Have I mentioned I’m an impulse shopper?

For $20, this custom print wasn’t exactly breaking the bank, but I know that if I purchase one every time I run a new race, it would add up and the map would potentially get crowded. Honestly? I’ll cross that bridge when I get there. I still have at least another year until I plan to run another destination race, so until then I’ll just enjoy the map as is.

This map is also a filler until I figured something else out. Hmmm…. the thinking cap is on.

Any ideas?!?

Lunch today was your basic sandwich with veggies and hummus.

Ok, so the sandwich wasn’t so basic. I know this combination is going to have some people rolling their eyes, but – once again – I promise that this flavor combination worked.

Turkey + ricotta cheese + spinach + cranberry/apple churney

New rule. Don’t knock it until you try it. Honestly, it’s not that weird of a combo to me. You know how many times I’ve ordered a turkey and cranberry sandwich with cream cheese at a restaurant? Tons! Ok. Maybe twice. But i know they’re out there. This is just my version of it with the ricotta substituting the cream cheese since it’s what I had in the fridge at the time. I don’t know what it is, but the jams and chutneys in my fridge just call my name more than the mustard or mayo. I definitely have a sweet tooth. It’s out of control.

And I’m not lying when I said that sandwich was good. I’d make it again.

Cucumbers and cherry tomatoes with hummus for dipping rounded out my plate.

‘Twas a good lunch.