10 miles and Some Dinners

Good morning!  I hope you are getting your week off to a good start.  I'm not sure how you feel, but the weekends go faster and faster.  On Saturday morning, I hit the roads for a 10 mile long run.  I was still feeling Friday night's progression run and my legs/IT band were a little tight.  Yesterday, I was telling Lauretta on our "phone date" how that run felt like it was never-ending.  Did you ever have one of those?  To soothe my aching legs when I was done, I decided to wade in my freezing cold pool for a few moments.  The water was a very chilly 60-some degrees, too cold for swimming, but I braved the frigid temperature and entered in until I was waist-deep.  After about five minutes, I had my fill and exited promptly.  Honestly, I actually did feel a little better.  I found a little article from Runner's World that talks about the benefits of ice baths.  Here's a clip:

Cryotherapy ("cold therapy") constricts blood vessels and decreases metabolic activity, which reduces swelling and tissue breakdown. Once the skin is no longer in contact with the cold source, the underlying tissues warm up, causing a return of faster blood flow, which helps return the byproducts of cellular breakdown to the lymph system for efficient recycling by the body. "Ice baths don't only suppress inflammation, but help to flush harmful metabolic debris out of your muscles," says David Terry, M.D., an ultrarunner who has finished both the Western States 100-Mile Endurance Run and the Wasatch Front 100-Mile Endurance Run 10 consecutive times.


For more info, check out the link here.

Willsey wanted to take a dip too, but he's not allowed.  

 

I ran my ten miles at a little over 8 minute pace.  Like I said, I was a little stiff and sore, but I got through it. 

On Saturday night, Fred and I had a date night.  It was such a beautiful evening so we headed downtown to see what was going on.  Since it was a tad on the early side, we were able to get into the Apollo Grille for dinner without a reservation. 



I don't have any photos of the meal, but I ordered my usual...a half portion of the filet mignon.  They have a "ten wines for twenty-five" special which means they have ten bottles of wine on their list for $25.00 each.  We were in the mood for a dry red, so he chose a nice bottle of Kenwood Zinfandel to split.

After dinner, we strolled around Main Street for a bit, stopping at The Chocolate Lab for dessert.  We purchased a few pieces of caramel with sea salt and a layer of peanut butter, covered with dark chocolate.  My goodness...they were delicious.  I am a huge fan of dark chocolate with sea salt, and the caramel and PB added that extra special touch.  We took our bag of chocolates, along with two cups of coffee, and sat on a bench and watched the people.  People-watching is one of our favorite past times!

This picture doesn't do the chocolate any justice!! 

What a fun night!

Yesterday morning, I was finally able to make a yoga class.  My body was really craving yoga since I haven't been able to get to a class since school started.  In my experience, I can honestly say that my running is better with a little yoga added into the mix.  Afterwards, I stopped by the same coffee shop from Saturday night and ordered a pumpkin latte.  Very tasty.  Speaking of pumpkin, I highly encourage you to try the pumpkin coffee from Dunkin' Donuts.  It's one of my new favorites!

To continue along with the flavors of fall, I stopped by the local farmer's market picked up a mum for my front porch.  I love all of the colors of fall...they are so bright, vibrant and warm!

Finally, last night I had my parents over for their upcoming anniversary.  We had pot roast, homemade mashed potatoes, our frozen corn off the cob, and a salad.  It was a perfect fall weather meal.   

And for dessert...Salted Pretzel Marshmallow Bars from my Food Network magazine.  They were good, but I wasn't a fan of the multi-step recipe.  The final step was to put the bars under the broiler to "toast" the marshmallows, and then drizzle melted chocolate and peanut butter over the top.  

The finished masterpiece...

Alright, time for my early morning run....enjoy your Monday!