Ahhh it’s not already Sunday, is it?? Are you all enjoying the weekend?! I am, haha other than all all the school work I’ve been doing. But remember, it’s one of my November Goals to make school a number one priority!
I also had my last long run before Chicago’s Perfect 10 next weekend. I am not happy to report, however, that it went very, very badly. At about mile 2 my hip and ankle were really hurting. Honestly, I should have turned around at that point. However, I am very stubborn when it comes to setting my mind to something and sticking to it. It was not a comfortable run, and at mile 7 my Achilles tendon started to really hurt. I tried walking, but it hurt just as badly walking as it did jogging. Basically, I had no way to get home but my own two feet, so I jogged it back.
I ended up finishing in 1:24:40 for a pace of 9:25 min/mile. Not bad for walking parts of the run!
Splits:
Mile 1 –> 9:13
Mile 2 —> 8:50
Mile 3 –> 8:46
Mile 4 –> 9:07 (really starting to feel it…)
Mile 5 –> 9:43 (pain setting in)
Mile 6 –> 9:16
Mile 7 –> 9:41
Mile 8 –> 10:23 (several walk breaks)
Mile 9 –> 9:42 (as fast as I could move my butt!)
The good thing about the run though? I’ve finally hit a point where mentally, a long run feels like nothing! I guess it’s the runner’s high, but long runs are a breeze to me now when just a year ago I thought I could never be a distance runner because it was such a mental challenge.
One other good thing: I wore my new Superhero CW-X pants!
They kept my legs really warm! My fingers were numb (hence the awkward attempt at a picture of my superhero outfit), but my legs were fantastic the whole run! About a mile in, I did have to awkwardly stop and pull them up a bit around my thighs so running was more comfortable. My only other complaint is the one inside pocket. An inside pocket on those very tight pants made getting my GU out a little difficult!
When I got home I threw together some oats, and about 2 hours later it was time for lunch! Normally I have zero appetite after a long run, but today I’ve been eating constantly!
I was so proud of my lunch, I never cook fish and I finally decided to buy some salmon! All I did was wrap the salmon in a foil pocket and broil it for 10 min. It was a little overcooked, and I probably should have marinated it… but I tried.
On the side I had some kale and eggplant mixed with… you guessed it, hummus and nutritional yeast! Perfection.
Some of you may remember that two weeks ago I attempted to make myself some gluten free protein bars… but after an epic fail I realized they were not gluten free. The protein powder I ordered finally came on Friday, so I decided to go ahead and re-make the bars!
I found the recipe for Pumpkin Spice Protein Bars on Mama Pea’s blog, Peas and Thank You. I eat a lot of granola bars for afternoon snacks at school, and I figured this would be a much less expensive alternative!
The recipe called for oat flour, so I used my food processor to grind up some oats!
I have to say, I was a little disappointed with the final product. I mean, they still taste fine but they do not look anything like Mama Pea’s protein bars!!! I wonder if it’s because I didn’t mix my liquids in a blender first? Or maybe it was my “oat flour”?
I’ll definitely be trying it again though, I like a challenge and a money-saver!
I wrapped up the bars in plastic wrap and they’re ready to go for the week!
Are you stubborn like I am and push yourself too hard?
Have you ever made your own protein bars? I’d love more recipes!