10 in the A.M.

Yesterday I told myself (and a couple other people…just for accountability) that I would run 60 minutes every day for the rest of the week. My mileage has been lacking, but with the half marathon less than a month away now, I really need to get my butt into gear. I figured setting a time minimum of 60 minutes per run would help put the miles on.

After fueling with 1/2 a banana and a few sips of coffe, I set out for my run planning to do the same route as yesterday.  I was feeling really good this morning so I thought I’d do 9 miles instead of 8. But when I got to 9 miles, I still felt really good, so I pushed on until 10.

Pace didn’t matter today, I just wanted distance. I ran a little slower than yesterday and I probably didn’t run negative splits (I haven’t cared to check the Garmin), but that’s fine with me because not every run can be about the pace.

Here’s the final stats of my sunny and mellow 10 miles this morning:

Total Time: 80:17

Total Distance: 10.0 miles

Average Pace: 8:01/mile

Total Calories: 1100

When I finished, I grabbed a water bottle and then walked around the block while my sis rode alongside on her bike. I also spent about 10 minutes stretching and doing core work while I watched Tyler Florence make a very delicious-looking chicken paillard on Tyler’s Ultimate.

Breakfast was quick because I was famished!

The red cup was hand painted for me as a birthday gift!

I made a granola and yogurt parfait by sprinkling 2 Tbsp. granny smith apple granola in the bottom of my cup, then topping it with 1/4 cup nonfat greek yogurt (I ran out!), the other 1/2 of this morning’s banana, 2 more Tbsp. granola and a sprinkling of chia seeds. I served some (nearly burned) toast alongside.

Those aren't ants on top. They're chia seeds. And they are delightful.

Hmmmm. Homemade apricot jam for the toast? Or perhaps some homemade apple butter? How will I decide? Okay, I’ll have one of each.

(The jam was a gift from a coworker. I spread Earth Balance and apple butter on the other piece)

I also had some coffee. Duh.

It feels so darn good to know that I got a long run out of the way early this morning. The past couple of weeks I have been running late at night with Travis, and I hate the feeling of having to run at the end of a hard day. I don’t function as well with a long run looming over my head. Running in the morning makes me much more productive and I end up getting more accomplished. As a side bonus, I also eat healthier when I run in the morning because I don’t want to undo all of my hard work. Try it! Maybe you’ll reap the same benefits!

As promised, a ridiculously indulgent brownie recipe is still to come. Come back soon!

-Lou