8k training: 3 mile run (plus a great Saturday)

I had a really nice Saturday! While Joey went on a 10 mile run, I did a quick 3 mile run. I haven't done my Saturday short runs in a while, I've mostly just focused on the long runs. I was still pretty sore from the KB workout last Wednesday, and thought this would help loosen me up. I did the same route as usual, but planned it out perfectly (without even meaning to) so I could do 3 miles and then do a few speed sets after that. I didn't go fast at all, not even with the speed sets, but felt a little better about myself for doing it.

  

I made a delicious breakfast after I got up - sauteed a bunch of onions, peppers and mushrooms, put them on top of two pieces of bread (seriously the best bread ever, recipe coming soon), topped with cheese, and then a fried egg. Joey had a double yolk in one of his eggs!

I had my sandwich open faced. Joey made it into a real sandwich, and loaded it up with extra veggies and sliced tomatoes. He cooked the eggs so they weren't super runny, but still had nice soft spreadable yolks

After we chowed down and had a bunch of coffee, we went to Carter Mountain Orchard to pick apples. Joey's favorite apples are Fuji, and I'm torn between Fuji and Pink Ladies. Pink Ladies are the last to become available, and I always cross my fingers that the Fujis will still be there by then. This time we were in luck, those were two of the three apples that were available to be picked! We picked a staggering 20 lbs of apples! Now I need to come up with lots of ideas for ways to use them. After we picked the apples and paid for them, we spent a few minutes just admiring how beautiful the views were. Charlottesville is just gorgeous this time of year.

After fun at the orchard, we ran some errands (Cville Market, Sam's Club, and DSW for a new pair of shoes for me). That night, we tried out a new brewery. A lot of my runs have included going down Grady to Preston, and I keep noticing that there's a new brewery (Three Notch'd Brewery) only 1/4 mile away from where I live. I said to Joey that we should check it out, and then one of our friends asked if we would want to meet for drinks that night. We suggested we go there, and I'm so glad we did! They had, I believe, 6 beers on tap, and all of them tasted great. I really liked their red ale. What I liked the most, is that they had $5 pints, but they also had $3 half pints. Sometimes I don't want to drink my beer too quickly, and am happier with a smaller pour. I can also try out a couple different beers that way without getting crazy full. We will definitely come back here. 

Roasted spaghetti squash and assorted veggies with parmesan cheese

I love spaghetti squash. I definitely don't see it as a pasta substitute, but since I love veggies, that's not what I'm looking for. I like that it has such a different shape and texture than any other vegetable, and it mixes well with other flavors and sauces so well. We usually make spaghetti squash marinara but I was looking for something different this time. Once I made the recipe, I realized that the main thing I did was not use marinara sauce. Joey still wanted that, so he added some into his portion. I really wanted the veggies to shine. I also used parmesan cheese instead of fresh mozzarella, and didn't bake everything twice.


Recipe: Roasted spaghetti squash and assorted veggies with parmesan cheese
Yield: 2-3 large portions

Ingredients:
1 large spaghetti squash (or two small)
3 tbsp olive oil, divided
salt and pepper
1 large bell pepper
1 large onion
8 oz mushrooms (white or cremini)
1 small head broccoli
1/2 large head cauliflower
salt, pepper and garlic powder
1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated (plus more to taste)

Note - use whatever veggies you happen to have on hand! I like this combination, but really, anything would work.

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a baking sheet with foil.
(Carefully) cut open the spaghetti squash, and scoop out the slimy stringy flesh and seeds.
Rub the open sides with 1 tbsp oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place cut side down on the baking sheet, and cook until tender, about 1 hour.
Remove from oven and set aside until cool enough to handle.

Turn oven temperature up to 425 F.
Chop the pepper, onion, mushrooms, broccoli and cauliflower into bite-size pieces. For me, this meant strips for the peppers and onion, slices for the mushrooms, and small florets for the broccoli and cauliflower. Lay out on two foil-lined baking sheets, and drizzle with oil. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.

Roast for 20-30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.
Once the spaghetti squash is cool, take a fork to scrape out the flesh. Run the tines of the fork down the squash, from stem end to bottom, creating long strands. Put the squash in a large bowl, and mix in the rest of the cooked veggies. Stir in the parmesan cheese. Add more s&p (and cheese) to taste.

Killer KB Workout

This workout was pretty intense! Especially since Joey joined me for the first and third sets, and really pushed the pace in the first set. Apparently he hadn't planned on coming to the gym that day, but when I told him I had two sets planned, he decided to join me. I've never done a KB workout with him, since he's so much more advanced than I am, and does everything a lot faster. It somehow worked out really well - since he hadn't planned on doing a workout, any pace was good for him. And his natural pace was a bit too fast to me, which just pushed me to work harder than I normally do.

For the second set, he had his own thing that he wanted to do, so I struggled through on my own. I thought we were done after that, but then he had some tabata sets planned. My arms and legs were just DONE, so I decided to do core only tabata sets. Man were they hard. Two days later, EVERYTHING is sore! My quads, glutes, and lower back in particular, really hurt. This was my first time using the 25lb KB since I injured my back. All in all, this was a really great, HARD workout.