Thinking about Peppers and a Peck of Other Things

Hal Higdon's Novice 1 Marathon Training Schedule: Week 9, Day 6

Days to Chevron Houston Marathon: 64
Planned activity: 12 mile run
5:15 pm 61 degrees 12.02 miles    2 hours 25 minutes   12:04 pace

I've never liked peppers.  Let me qualify that.  I've always despised bell peppers.  I couldn't stand the taste of them:  raw, stuffed, roasted, any way they were presented to me.  I still won't eat one raw but I've prepared three meals for myself this week that included bell peppers.  I'm eating scrambled eggs and peppers as I type this entry.  Yum!  My point...tastes change.  Mine did.  If you haven't tried something lately, do.  You might be surprised.

I'm still in awe at how my diet has changed over the last year.  I have to go to the grocery store every few days because of the need to restock my produce bin.  I feel very fortunate to have the resources available to me to be able to purchase such a wide variety of fresh and nutritious food.  I'm painfully aware that I'm in the minority of people that enjoy this ability to eat what I want, when I want. 

There were dozens of runners on the road this morning.  We're getting closer to the big Houston Marathon and Saturday morning along Lexington is prime time for long-run training.  I think the majority of the people I came across were with Fort Bend Fit, a running club in this area.  There were a few of us solo runners - running against the stream.  Most of us exchange quick greetings as we pass each other.  I had to smile (with a bit of envy) as I approached a group of three women, obviously running together.  They were running side by side by side, filling the entire sidewalk.  We made eye contact.  I started to open my mouth to utter a chipper "good morning", but they kept coming, and...I was forced to yield to their three-strong sidewalk brigade and to step onto the grass.  So much for running etiquette.  *sigh*  Oh, well.  Such is life out here in Stepford.  And people ask me why I want to move back to Houston.  Three bad peppers may not ruin a peck of peppers but they sure pickle it.

ANYway...

I continued on, finished my run and I'm home with my peppers and eggs.  And a delicious cup of coffee.  My foot is on ice.  It was achy during the run but not too bad.  Oh, I used a pack of Gu energy gel at mile 9.  Wouldn't have finished without it.  It wasn't too bad and didn't have any tummy issues because of it.  I felt like I was starting to bonk and perked up about 10 minutes after getting it down with some water. 

Happy Saturday, Everyone!  Hope your weekend is everything you want it to be.  M

  






©Michelle Scofield, Nov 10, 2012 All Rights Reserved