Run Wild!

G’day!

Let me just say, I’m spoiled. I haven’t been up before the sun in months, and that made this morning very troublesome. I went to bed early, but couldn’t fall asleep right away — because it was, ya know, 10 PM — and so I was struggling this morning when I got up and it was still dark outisde. But there wasn’t much I could do…today was the day of the Bank of America/Detroit Zoo “Run Wild” 10K!

I decided to do this run because it was a good cause and there was a family fun walk, so I brought my mom and Preston along. I’ve been telling Preston for the past few months he needs to train…last night he came home and started doing cartwheels and told me he was “training.” Then we had a dance party.

This morning we were all a little sleepy as we headed to Royal Oak for the race. I had a pretty standard breakfast–a whole-wheat English muffin with peanut butter, a chocolate-banana smoothie, and a big cup of coffee. I kept thinking I should eat more, but then I remembered that 10K (6.1 miles) is now a typical training run for me, and there’s no reason to get carried away.

By the time we got to the race, I was more awake and it was bright and sunny! It was also cold. I had wanted to wear my running skirt, but instead stuck with pants and a jacket until the last minute.

There was a good turnout for the race! I was expecting some little thing, but it was pretty legit! A lot of serious Runners plus a lot of families with kids. I also had a running buddy…Leah from Nutritionista! Leah is also training for the Freep Half-Marathon, but she started before I did, so she’s in good shape. I always run alone because I am self-conscious about my speed, but it was nice to have a buddy! We chatted the whole time, but kept a decent pace. Sadly the run does not go through the zoo at all (though the family fun walk does); we were in neighborhoods the whole time. The weather was perfect for a race; even though it was chilly, it warmed up, and it was really sunny. The neighborhood where we ran was nice and shady.

I’m glad I got over my fear of running with a buddy today; I think the important thing is to have a good buddy who is on the same page as you are. We ran the first four miles together, and then she sped up for the the last two, which was totally fine! It also gave me practice going ipod-free.

After hanging out for a bit at the post-race party, we headed into downtown royal oak for brunch at the Inn Season Cafe. It was really cute and the food was good! It’s vegetarian/vegan with a lot of options (wheat-free, soy-free, etc.)…I ordered the vegan omelet.Since vegans don’t have eggs, the omelet was actually made from tofu and chickpeas. It had soy cheese and veggies, and was topped with a red pepper aioli; on the side was maple tempeh, roasted potatoes, fruit, and cornbread!

The omelet didn’t taste like eggs at all; it actually tasted a lot like a pancake. However, I don’t usually get pancakes because they are too sweet; since this was savory, it was the best of both worlds. The red pepper aioli was definitely the best part! It’s always nice to finish off a run with a meal out; I like cooking so much, sometimes I forget how delicious restaurant food can be.

Heading home, I got so, so tired. That hour of sleep I missed last night is really catching up to me. The exciting thing is that I already have my workout done for the day! Seems obvious, but it’s a good feeling. I get groggy after naps, so I think I’m just going to push through the tiredness…and maybe catch up on the NY Times weddings and watch a little “Mad Men” in the meantime!

Have a great Sunday!

**UPDATE: After “Mad Men,” I finally listened to my friends and started watching “How I Met Your Mother.” Um, thank you friends–it is hilarious! I was tempted to kill an entire bag of Pretzel Goldfish, but then my mom brought home Panera Bread and I had broccoli cheese soup, a whole wheat roll, a salad, and some Triscuits. Carbs and sit-coms. It. Was. BOSS.

Tagged as: half marathon training, running