(Not Quite) Ready to Hit the Road

Hi loves,

I cannot believe I'm leaving tomorrow morning. I'm pretty much terrified. I know everything will probably go better this year, but the unknown can be really scary. After I posted this morning I ran around trying to get stuff together, then went to Whole Foods and Mejier to get a few things. I ate a lot of grapes:



Then I went on a much-needed run. Even though my race nearly broke me mentally, I definitely felt stronger today! And I have to say, I liked running in the sunshine.

Garmin stats:

Total Time: 51:59
Total Distance: 6.21 miles
Average Pace: 8:22/mile
Average/Max Heartrate: 182/191

Mile 1: 8:32
Mile 2: 8:10
Mile 3: 8:14
Mile 4: 8:24
Mile 5: 8:33
Mile 6: 8:19

It was on the hot side, so my heart rate was higher than usual. I did hit 191 on this huge hill on mile 6. I couldn't believe this was gonna be my last Michigan run for months! So weird.

Run Michigan put up pictures from the 8k race on Saturday. You can see all the pictures right here. Here are some of the ones I'm in:


This is mainly to show the downpour at the start. You can see a tiny bit of me on the mid-right, in the blue tank and white hat. The front-runners were either warming up, or this was when the thunder cracked and everyone thought it was the starting gun.


That was at the half-way mark. I was thinking several things: "Oh my god this pizza grease smell is making me gag. Who the heck eats pizza immediately after a race, and why would they be cruel enough to set it up so I can smell it when I'm running as hard as I freaking can??" And also "Holy $%@& I have to run this all AGAIN??" Oh, and do you like the shorts tan line? I was completely drenched and I knew my shorts were permanently gonna ride up, so I just didn't care ;)


Okay, this was the finish stretch. I was fighting to beat that dude in the neon shirt behind me. We were head to head for the last little bit, until I managed to make a smidge of a final kick.


Yea, and that one's me wanting to die.

Even though I don't look glamorous by any means, when I look at the pictures I'm reminded of how strong I can be. Even though I'm clearly struggling, I'm still running as hard as I can and I persevered. Since they were just $4, I did buy several.

Ok, quick eats recap. We were having an early dinner, so I had a smaller lunch at a little past 3:



Greek yogurt
Pumpkin
Sliced banana
Cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice
Maple flavor
Coconut

So at Whole Foods today, I saw this "maple flavor" in those little bottles they have orange extract and all. I was curious, so I got it. It was really strong--my hands still smell like maple cause I got a dot of the extract on my fingers. I washed my hands and everything several times, but the smell still lingers. It tasted so good in the pumpkin combo, though! Like a pumpkin pie dessert.

I also had pretty much an entire bag of grapes today, even though I only pictured the bowl I had earlier. Just sayin'.

For dinner, we went to Seva. I wrote about it before, but it's pretty much our family's staple restaurant. Here are some fun pics:





Sis opening presents


I got her that! It's such a great show, and she loves it, too. The humor is right up her alley :D

Everyone except my dad got a side salad. Mine was with Fat-Free Sweet + Spicy Rice Vinegar dressing. I loved it!



For my entree, I got the North African Couscous:



"Aromatic mix of carrots, potatoes, onions, cauliflower, peppers, tomatoes & garbanzos in North African curry spices, on couscous with chargrilled tempeh & fresh cilantro."

This plate was huge! I really loved the tempeh. It had a great texture, and the veggies were flavorful in the slightly spicy curry sauce. I wish there were more veggies--it was bit too much couscous for me. I wasn't a huge fan of the cilantro, but there wasn't a lot of it. All in all, it was a tasty dish!

My mom got the Roasted Sweet Potato Enchiladas:



It was a special, so I took a pic of the description on the menu:



She loved it, and I thought it was really good, too. We were surprised because instead of a sweet potato puree, the potato was chopped. It was delicious, though.

My sis got the Curried Eggplant:



"Tender chargrilled eggplant with tamarind-coconut-peanut sauce, served with a really spicy vegetable-brown rice biryani and a cooling beet-soy yogurt raita."

We all loved this dish. It was spicy, but I didn't think it was incredibly hot. The beet yogurt was so bright and pretty! The flavors were full and vibrant, and the components of the dish blended really well.

My dad got his classic Smothered Burrito:



"Our basic burrito, unchanged since the 70’s...choice of beans (pintos or black beans), lettuce, green onions and tomatoes in a whole wheat tortilla, with cheddar cheese, spicy tomato sauce and sour cream."

He gets it every time :D

I had 2 pumpkin desserts for dessert:



I added the new maple flavor to these, and it was delicious. Like Thanksgiving pumpkin pie or something!

Then I packed some more, freaked some more, procrastinated some more... and repeated the cycle multiple times. I've still got more packing to do. Sorry if I don't comment on all your blogs... hopefully I'll have some time tomorrow when we finally get to the hotel?

Q: When you go to a favorite restaurant, do you get the same dish, rotate several, or try something new all the time?

I usually rotate a few dishes, but if I see something new that looks yummy I'll go for it! On the other hand, my dad has been getting the same smothered burrito at Seva since about 1978. What about you guys?