run, post-zumba

So I woke up this morning somewhere around 8:30... it was a late night last night. Dinner was late because I got home from Zumba late, and then I just wasn't tired. I figured I should get my 6 mile run out of the way early, before it got too hot, I got too lazy, or it stormed. I wanted to avoid the treadmill if possible so I could work in some hills. Plus, running on the road just feels so different to me. I know I will be better prepared for the R'nR Chicago if I do most of my training outside.

I got up, got dressed, ate an organic "pop tart" (my current favorite food pre-run), grabbed my water bottle, and headed outside.

The first 2 miles went really well! I ran them just faster than a 10 min. mile, which is a good training pace for 6 miles for me at this stage of the game. Then, I got out of the neighborhood and got into farmland. Hilly, wide-open farmland, with no shade.

Right. This is what the weather channel told me when I finally got back to my house. Now, normally I'm fine as long as the air is "moving," and it was certainly windy when I set out today. The problem was that the winds were occasionally gusty at times when I was running into the wind...uphill...in the heat...you get the picture! Needless to say, I did a lot of interval walking / running for miles 3-6. I'm just glad that I made it through the whole run and didn't wimp out and come back early. 

p.s. My body HURTS today. Holy cow. Especially my upper body. I knew I was slacking on the total body workouts and just running a lot, but I had no idea how out of shape I was. Phew! I have a lot of work to do.

This afternoon I spent some time with a repair man for our refrigerator. The guys who originally installed it didn't quite know what they were doing (a.k.a. one of them actually said, "Huh. Well. I've never seen anything like this before. This is the first one of these we've installed!" haha) Anyway, we had a specialized guy come and confirm that our freezer drawer (it's a french door w/ freezer at the bottom) was never adjusted properly. All is now well. Woo!

Dinner tonight was from the July/Aug 2010 Everyday Food. Again, I couldn't post a link because it's not up on their website yet, but it was very good (if you like antipasti!) It was the Antipasti Sandwich. It claimed I could prep everything (including roasting my own red pepper) in just 25 minutes, and then the sandwich gets flattened in the fridge for a few hours (or up to 1 day) until you're ready to eat it. This makes it a great "make ahead" option! It was also pretty neat to eat, so it would make great picnic food. In reality, it took me nearly 50 min. to prep... but please keep in mind that I was using my toaster oven's broiler for the first time to roast the pepper (due to the storm) which took way longer than a grill or gas burner would have taken. Also, I wasn't exactly focused. I stopped a lot to check email, fb, grab a diet coke... and I'm also moving really slowly today because apparently my body is reacting to the whole Zumba / 6 mile run in lots of heat combo. :)

Dessert was the summer fruit salad from the same issue of Everyday Food, with a little vanilla bean ice cream.

Ok, time for some more water, then bed. Tomorrow I have to finish a paper for this grad class I'm taking online. We'll see if I can focus tomorrow...ha.