The Final Countdown

Ha! Now that I have that song in your head, let me tell you about Saturday through today!

Saturday was the last of our "long" runs. It's funny how six miles is nowhere near what qualifies as long anymore. Crazy, right? We were all so full of energy that we were conversing as if we were sitting down having a cup of tea, as opposed to running. The whole run was full of plans for the week and then of course, the big day on Sunday.

I spent the rest of the day with my cousins from Ireland. As I explained in my last blog, Sunday was all about the Young Adults mass at Old St. Pat's. The mass turned out to be a great one for me, with all the talk of running and committing oneself to the community, and of course the upcoming marathon. This resulted in a subsequent trip to Whole Foods. And then later, the Jewel. At both grocery stores, I was all about getting the fuel I was going to need to get me through the week and help me be as nutritionally prepared as possible for the marathon. I've got all sorts of stuff...fresh cut fruits and veggies, organic carrots and spinach, organic milk, bananas, plum juice, orange juice, organic Greek yogurt, organic honey, lean ground turkey...you get the picture. I made a great dinner that evening, too. My buddy Stef gave this recipe to me as a variation on a typical pasta dinner. As a side note, I've decided to have pasta for at least one meal each day this week. None of this recipe is exact, but I think those of you who are better cooks than I can probably make up the measurements more accurately.

Pasta de Stef
Cook your favourite pasta according to the directions on the box. I prefer thin spaghetti or linguine.
Brown ground turkey or chicken in a non-stick pan --you might want to use a little olive oil or pam
In another pan, saute spinach in olive oil with minced garlic until the spinach has wilted and turned a darker green colour
Then add diced tomatoes to the spinach and garlic mix to the continue to cook on medium to low heat
Next add the browned meat to the mixture and combine
On a plate, spread a large spoonful of Ricotta cheese before layering the pasta on top of it, then add the sauce to it.
Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and enjoy!

Looks good with my roommate's spooky candles and my issue of Runner's World that FINALLY arrived!


sorry if my directions are not that precise. I basically used 3 cups of spinach in total, one can of diced tomatoes, a couple of tablespoons of garlic, one package of ground turkey

This morning's "easy" run was only 40 minutes long. It was nice and cool, but dark the entire time. Still, even through the darkness, you could tell the other runners were only thinking about one thing...the Chicago Marathon. It was pretty exciting to think about, and nerve wracking at the same time.

I'm also watching as many running motivational movies this week as I possibly can! I'm starting tonight with St. Ralph, which actually has me tearing up a bit at the moment. Tomorrow night depends largely upon when I get home from my hair appointment and when the debate starts. I'll keep you posted on what the selection will be tomorrow and for the rest of the week.

Okay the movie's over and I've got tears rolling down my cheeks. Stupid emotion!!!