I was originally planning to bag my long run for the week; I didn’t end up doing it while we were in the Outer Banks because, to be honest, I didn’t feel like it! Running for me is a happy, positive thing, and getting up crazy early on my vacation to run 10 miles by myself sounded like the opposite of fun. It was also insanely humid there. So instead, I slept in every day, enjoyed two shorter runs with Matt, did a lot of swimming and some yoga, and was fine with it. But when Matt and I got back to DC at 11am on Sunday and I had the whole day, I thought – why not do my long run now?
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As you guys know I’m a very social runner – I almost never run alone – but I was actually in the mood for a solo run to have some time to decompress after a long car ride. It was blazing hot outside, but I figured I’d just go as slow as I wanted and not worry about pace.
So I grabbed my phone and some headphones (these headphones are my fave – cheap and they actually stay put – they claim they are “ideal for women” but Matt absolutely loves them too – they are the only ones that don’t fall out of his ears!) and a ton of water (via my hydration vest) and I was on my way. It was hot – SO hot – and the tomato face was in action pretty quickly! This is my “it’s so hot out” face.
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Despite the crazy heat and the fact that this run was certainly not easy, I actually enjoyed it. It was nice to have some time to myself and I kept it suuuuper casual on pace and took walking breaks when I needed to. While I ran, I listened to Brene Brown’s “Daring Greatly” on my phone via Audible. It’s so good – highly recommend – and it kept me distracted from the running too. I love listening to books or podcasts while walking or running – way more entertaining than music!
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I was gone for ages thanks to the slower pace and a couple walking breaks (and one bathroom break), but I did it! I was really proud of myself – running on my own is not easy, especially when it’s 10 miles on a hilly route and with 95 degree heat.
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Even better? When I got back Matt had made banana bread! We had some overripe bananas left over from the beach that needed a good home so Matt made my old fave Banana Spelt Muffins (<—recipe), but in bread form instead of muffin form.
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I forgot how delicious that recipe was! Matt deemed it “even better than Starbucks banana nut bread” – quite the compliment since he loves their bread. Image may be NSFW.
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It was especially awesome post-run! Loved the crunchy walnuts and the juicy banana combo.
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I ended up having some more yesterday morning for breakfast, crumbled atop plain full fat Greek yogurt with some blackberries and additional walnuts. Delish and filling!
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It fueled me up well for a late morning yoga class via ClassPass (<—affiliate link for $30 off your first month if you sign up by July 29)! I hit up Blue Nectar Yoga in Falls Church with my high school friend Dinah, who is in town visiting.
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Post-yoga we headed over to Pita Pouch for lunch. I always love seeing Dinah – nothing like an old friend who knows you well! We really enjoyed catching up. Fun fact: Dinah and I backpacked around Europe together for a couple weeks back in 2004, shortly after graduating from college! We had a blast. Image may be NSFW.
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Also – Pita Pouch is delicious if you are ever in Falls Church at lunch time!
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As for dinner last night, Matt and I are back on the Blue Apron train after skipping a couple weeks due to all our travels.
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I made us a yummy Lemon Chicken & Green Beans with Roasted Summer Squash and Potatoes. Loved all the veggie power in this one! The squash was topped with some minced garlic and a little parmesan before roasting 20 minutes at 450 degrees F – try it! It was delicious.
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I whipped up side salads for us to use up some of the leftover greens and veggies from the beach – we brought a lot of stuff from the group house fridge back with us! Didn’t want it to go to waste. Image may be NSFW.
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Delish dinner! The pan sauce was really good – very lemony.
As for this morning, I was back at the track! It was fun to see my track buddies again after missing last week. We did five 1200’s today (3 laps) – at threshold pace with 1 to 2 minutes rest in between each.
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Tough! This is how I feel about summer track workouts:
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I kid, I kid. I actually felt pretty decent out there today, even though it was hot. Definitely looking forward to that fall running weather though… Image may be NSFW.
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Have a lovely day my friends!
What’s the hottest run you’ve ever done?
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The Hottest 10 Miler originally appeared on fANNEtastic food | Registered Dietitian Blog | Recipes + Healthy Living + Fitness on July 19, 2016.
The post The Hottest 10 Miler appeared first on fANNEtastic food | Registered Dietitian Blog | Recipes + Healthy Living + Fitness.