miles + meals

September 13, 2009

group run fun!
all of yesterday’s pre-run trepidations melted away when i arrived at the starting point of yesterday’s group run to find a sea of friendly runners. while there were still some speed demons, this group seemed to have a wider variety of paces than the sunday runs and felt a bit less intimidating overall. early on, i met (blog reader!) claire and we turned out to be a great match for pace.

we talked about blogs (why not?), the durham/chapel hill area, and training/race plans, and the 13 miles went by incredibly quickly! we hooked up with another runner (a clinical researcher named nicole, who is training for her first marathon) for the last 4, and the three of us finished strong. i am looking forward to meeting with these two again next week!

after a bit of experimentation, i think i found the right group for me! i think this will make this training season that much more enjoyable and fun.

a 13 mile long run calls for some high-quality post-run fuel, and i knew there wasn’t much in the fridge! so i stopped at the south estes farmer’s market on the way home to pick up some farm-fresh vegetables to incorporate with my meal. a new post-run tradition, perhaps?


i made exactly what i was craving: poached eggs (using kath’s microwave technique), sauteed local vegetables, roasted potatoes (leftovers re-crisped in the oven — worked like a charm!), and some fresh mozzerella. with all of the food group bases covered, i greatly enjoyed this recovery lunch.

stressed strands
and then i got my hair done. at the salon, my hairstylist saw me watching intently, fixated on the foil packets as some woman was having highlights applied. i admitted that i had never seen it done, because i have never had highlights or colored my hair (aside from a brief purple stint in 1997 . . . don’t ask). he looked at me (perhaps i was looking a bit smug pretending to be all au naturel?) and said, “but you’re certainly not chemically deprived!”.

which is true. i have been getting my hair japanese straightened for 2 years now, and i’m actually at the point where i sort of forget what my ‘real’ hair is like. as usual, i was held captive in the salon for 4.5 hours, and i emerged with pin-straight, shiny locks. however, this morning i did notice that i have a fair number of broken hairs, especially around my part. also, because the roots are now straight and lack any sort of lift, my hair looks a lot less full than it did pre-treatment.

meaning: i actually liked my hair better yesterday! now, i am not about to stop getting these treatments, because i love having effortlessly straight and smooth hair. but maybe i’ll try spacing them to every 5-6 months rather than every 4.

more feasting
i do not make any special point of eating more on long run days. from personal experience, i know that my body will ask for what it needs, and any sort of calculation or sense of ‘entitlement’ (ie, i ran this so i can eat that!) only confuses the matter. at the same time, i think it’s important to honor post-run hunger when it comes around!

last night, we honored it in the best way possible: with pizza.

i really like rockwood filling station in durham. do i think they have the best pizza? actually, no. in my opinion, the best pizza in the triangle is at lilly’s pizza in raleigh, and nowhere else even comes close. after lilly’s, i really like the pizza at the loop and brixx.

but i do enjoy rockwood. i like it for the ambience, great salads, interesting/gourmet toppings, good wine, and the availability of a whole wheat crust. their pizzas are thinner and more delicate than the chewy carb-fests that i typically prefer, which is why they are not at the top of my ‘best pizza’ list. i really loathe using a knife and fork to eat pizza (that warm, tactile sensation is part of the pizza experience in my opinion!), and sometimes at rockwood there is no avoiding it unless you want all the toppings to slide off onto the plate en route to your mouth.

pizza-to-mouth delivery preferences aside, we had an enjoyable and delicious meal last night.

i started with a glass of vibrant and fruity mark west pinot noir. i really like the glass it was served in — it fit the restaurant’s casual/nice vibe much better than a stemmed flute would have.


we (fine, i) chose the spinach salad with walnuts, mushrooms, and goat cheese to share. it was excellent! there were even crispy pieces of pancetta involved, which added a perfect salty crunch.


mushroom pizza with arugula, freshly shaved parmesan, tomato sauce, and TRUFFLE OIL, which totally made the pie in my opinon. we ordered this one on a whole wheat crust, which went well with the rustic flavor lent by the mushrooms. this picture is of the leftovers after we attacked the first half!


josh wanted to try the special pizza: shrimp alfredo with feta, tomato, and kalamata olives. it was an excellent choice. check out this sea of deliciousness:


i have to admit there is another reason that i like rockwood. just look what “happens” to be across the street!


oh YEAH.


me with a prized cup of peanut butter yogurt mixed with banana slices and dark chocolate curls (and, flat hair).

it was a nice night although i was not thrilled when josh got called to go into the OR soon after we arrived home. such is life, though . . .

today
☑ endocrine presentation!
☑ plan dinners for next week — i get to delve into the ‘fall’ section!
☑ plan next week’s workouts
☑ VACATION planning — booking tickets, etc. love doing this!
☑ laundry
☑ grocery trip

aaaaand that is plenty. especially since that first item is likely to consume all afternoon. it will be worth it, though!

——————————————————————–

9.12.09

workout: run stats: 13 miles in 2:00:12, which works out to 9:14/mi pace on fairly hilly trails/paths/roads. i was happy to see that claire’s garmin 405 provided the EXACT same numbers, which means the data is likely to be quite accurate.

8 Comments

  • Reply Anonymous March 10, 2019 at 7:28 pm

    great long run! seems like that group is a perfect fit for you.

    what exactly is japanese straightening? just curious as i don&#39t think i could ever sit through 4.5 hours at a salon — give me a 20 mile run anyday haha 🙂

  • Reply Anonymous March 10, 2019 at 7:28 pm

    I love your hair! It looks SO good, and it really looks healthy…I can&#39t see any split ends at all! I flat iron my hair usually if I wear it down, but occasionally I have been air-drying and letting it wavy (ie: pics in my last post!) as I hate the blow dryer. But I do have quite a few split ends, etc.

  • Reply Anonymous March 10, 2019 at 7:28 pm

    1) Lilly&#39s is soooo good! It is right in my "neck of the woods." haha I love the unique combinations of flavors they have!

    2) Local YOGURT!!!!! I am so jealous you went there. 🙂 You got my fave flavor too–peanut butter! We must set up a Local Yogurt date sometime.

  • Reply Cindy March 10, 2019 at 7:28 pm

    great run! congrats!
    those eggs look so good. do you get farm eggs too? now that i&#39ve tried them, i can&#39 go back.

  • Reply Jess March 10, 2019 at 7:28 pm

    Great news about the running group! That sounds fun. Your post-long run lunch is so healthy and well thought out–mine usually contains decadent amount of peanut butter on a pb and banana sandwich and tons of coffee.

  • Reply atilla March 10, 2019 at 7:28 pm

    hair looks great! I think the best pizza is a Amorina in Brooklyn…Love the chef

  • Reply da March 10, 2019 at 7:28 pm

    Purple hair in 1997?! I don&#39t recall that but, then again, how could I have missed it?!
    L, da

  • Reply Siobhan Brady March 10, 2019 at 7:28 pm

    glad to hear the run went well.. i must admit – i&#39m a little envious – i wish i could be up and running with you as well… the straight hair looks good too. i can&#39t even remember what yours was like when it was curly.

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