Thursday Follow-up

Quick back track on yesterday's Baltimore running and eating excursions...

Evergreen for AM, free lunch at work with the rest of the faculty and staff. Catered by Big Bad BBQ. Fabulously seasoned chicken BBQ, oodles of old bay and fascinating sauce options. I certainly had my share of meat with additional sides of course; tomato and cucumber salad, a little over the top with the dressing but good, along with standard mac and cheese; not the way that mom makes but it fit the bill. Dessert was very fitting; either pecan pie or sweet potato pie? The latter pie was highly debated at my lunch table as half of us were convinced it was standard pumpkin while the others thought it was sweet potato. Either way, I could eat it all day but thankfully was able to throw in the towel after two mini slices :)

After work met the new members of the XC team after their run. Very excited about this coming season, seems like a strong group of devoted runners. Since I missed the workout with the team, I met up with marathon mama for a ridiculously crazy workout as usual. Druid Hill was the selected locale and we enjoyed an intense hour long interval workout around the reservoir. Weather was perfect with a bit of chill in the air.

20 min warm up
immediately followed by 15x 1min ON, 1min OFF
10 min cool down

Sheesh was I sore. Probably should have taken it easy after jumping back on the running bandwagon yesterday following a 5 day hiatus. Chipotle for dinner in Towson with my sister; I was anxious to visit her at her new apartment in Towson by school. Although, now I have been there two times, I actually haven't gone IN the apartment. I will soon enough. Had the burrito bowl at Chipotle, vegetarian this time which I haven't done in a while. Didn't seem to be missing much without the standard chicken, fajita vegetables and salsas more than made up for it. Punished a bag of salty chips that certainly helped scoop the gargantuous mound of guac. Yum.

Good recap.

Dreary Rain

Ugh what a day. Rain. medium rain, misty rain, lots of rain. A lot of rain and clouds. Just what you look forward to on a Friday. Got my Zeke's @ Evergreen as usual, also late as usual. I tried a breakfast sandwich for a change and was flabbergasted to see how they cook their eggs! The eggs go in a microwave safe cup and they are nuked! I mean I have microwaved eggs before but I was surprised by their method, especially in their choice to heat it with the spinach mixed in. Quite possibly some of the flavor was lost but the mozzarella more than compensated.

Work ended and off to practice with the team-
10 min warm up
3x3 200m hills, w/ 800m recovery between sets
10 min cool down

Practice followed by simple yet flavorful dining experience at Grano Pasta Bar in Hampden on the Avenue. Very low key atmosphere, but informal ambiance did not sacrifice authenticity of food; not that it necessarily does. I was immediately greeted when I entered and was offered a cozy seat at the bar. I had a perfect view of the chef who was referred to by most by name, Carlos. I started my order with one server but he was soon overtaken by the owner's grandson. An extroverted 7th grader, this excitable young man took my pasta order, recommended sauces and desserts, and kept me geniunely entertained. It was such a pleasant experience; certainly the highlight of my day. the pomodoro y mozzarella was the perfect portion of tomato to cheese with a bed of fresh greens topped with stunningly fresh pesto. Since one meal is never enough, I also ordered a pasta dish; I mean hello it is a pasta bar. Although my young server recommended the original tomato sauce, I opted for the savory caper, olive and anchovy sauce with skinned tomatoes on penne. So gooooood. They even served the pasta first like in Italy with the salad following.

Dog walk with the basset hound in Mt Vernon. Extended the walk to City Cafe for an after dinner drink; skim cappucino and fresh harvest cookie. My uncle Richard once said; there is nothing like a good oatmeal raisin cookie. He was right, I love good cookies but they certainly don't have to be oatmeal :)

Ew. I need to shower, I am still soaked from rain and running.

Daily Happenings

After recovering from a 5 day excursion in the mountains of Colorado with my family, I return to the daily grind. I start the morning with my favorite cup of coffee- black, at The Evergreen. Most coffee shops open at 7, thankfully the Evergreen is open a wee bit earlier allowing me ample time for me to grab the essentials before I make the final turn for the office :( Along with my cup of Zeke's, I get my usual toasted wheat bagel with sprouts, cucumbers, tomatoes, and avocado as well as a small fruit salad. I am officially ready to start my day...

8 hours later, I am on my way to Towson University's track for a brief warm-up and drills.
1 mile Warm Up
Plyometric Drills
6x100m accelerations (13-15 sec.) 45 sec. recovery
1 mile Cool Down

I decide to head over to Falls Road Running to run with their 6:30 group. We embark on a 50 minute run through Robert E Lee park I looooove running these trails although I frequently end up with a rolled ankle, no biggie.

Headed to Iggie's for my post-workout binge; arugula pizza and the sesamo salad. Yum. Great fuel to accompany Project Runway and the DNC. woo hoo!

Gnight!