Sep 26, 2010

Capital City River Run and The Great Pumpkin

Sunday

Up at 6:30am and out the door by 7:00am with three layers of clothing on. The Capital City River Run started early this morning (8:30am) and I had to get there early to pick up my race packet and warm up and all that. If only I could have actually warmed up. It was not even 50deg out! my lungs were completed trashed (I think I actually tore something, my spit tasted like iron), but it really was all worth it. With my time of 25:01, I finished second in my age group (females age 14-19, 19 in my group) and 111th overall (out of the 843 who finished)! It felt so incredible when I read my name near the top of that list! And look at that time! That is a whole 27 seconds faster than my last 5K five years ago and almost a minute faster than my goal time! I hit Mile One around 8:20 and Mile Two around 16:10.

IMG_0014

Did I want to stop running and just walk? Of course! But I had my iPod blasting away and the cold air kept me moving for want of a good sweat to warm me up. I even full-out sprinted the last leg of the race. My prize for finishing top 3 in my age groups was this nifty athletic bag. It all made up for the fact that I forgot to eat before I ran, whoopsy! It was fun though. There was a drum line, live band, free food, and a local news anchor even participated in the Half Marathon portion!

IMG_0012

I ate half a banana and a Pure Protein Smores bar (delicious!) after the race, then was off to the grocery store to stock up on fruits, bars, and foods for my procedure on Wednesday. By the time I finally got back home, it was time for lunch! But, since I did not get to have my customary bowl of oatmeal for breakfast this morning, it made it’s appearance in my lunch, with an extra special guest: pumpkin! Yes! It has finally shown up on the grocery store shelves in my town and I could not be more pleased. Old-fashioned oats made in Vanilla Caramel tea, mixed with cinnamon, nutmeg, chia seeds, flaxseed meal, and pumpkin, and topped with Grape Nuts and a mixture of dried berries.

IMG_0028

Holy Fall, Batman! That’s what I’m talkin’ ‘bout. I don’t have a peanut butter that would taste good with this right now, but hopefully I will soon! If only I still had some PB&Co. Cinnamon Raisin Swirl. Oh well. Anyway, here are some reasons why the pumpkin is so great and amazing: low in fat and calories, rich in alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, fiber, vitamin C, vitamin E, potassium, magnesium, and pantothenic acid. Such a wonderful little superfood. I also had an EnviroKidz Peanut Butter Crispy Rice bar since I wasn’t quite satiated with just the oatmeal.

I spent most of the rest of my lazy Sunday afternoon watching Gilmore Girls (Season 3) and reading out of my Biology textbook since I finally finished typing out my study guide for Nutrition. I think that it ended up being nine or ten pages long with really small font, narrow margins, and no space between the lines. I snacked on a bowl of Cascadian Farm Honey Nut O’s (I love stale cereal!) with USVAB and a Hugh Jass Honeycrisp apple between meals. I included my phone in the frame for a size reference.

IMG_0009

Dinner was the last little bit of the macaroni and cheese from last night, as well as MorningStar Farms Lasagna. It was okay, but there did not really seem to be much in the way of the “sausage-style crumbles” that seemed so prevalent on the packaging. Darn you, false advertising!

IMG_0002

Sadly, the apartment situation is not getting any better, but actually seems to be getting worse. I don’t know what to do. How can you talk to someone when communication is impossible? What do you do when you’re the odd man out? Do you stick it out for another 11 months, or do you start looking for an alternative living situation?

No comments:

Post a Comment