Escape to Cooler Weather
August 17th, 2010 § 1 Comment
Last weekend I was fortunate enough to spend some time in the cooler weather of Norwood, Colorado. I had a 7-mile run planned while I was there and I was really excited about it. It may seem strange to get excited about running 7 miles, but when you’ve been stuck on a treadmill for a couple of months or sweating it out in 90 degree weather for some 5k races, knowing that you can hit the pavement in weather that’s about 30 degrees cooler than home is something to get excited about!
When I woke up at 5 a.m. it was still pitch black outside. As I tiptoed across the wood floors of the cabin so as not to wake anyone up, I realized how loud and heavy my running shoes are! I sat in silence in the kitchen and took my time eating a snack before I headed out. I could see the outline of the mountains through the window, but the sun was still about an hour away from coming up over them. It’s amazing how dark the morning was without all the city lights and street lamps!
As the dark of the morning turned into a slightly lighter shade of blue, I decided to head out. It took my eyes some time to adjust to the lack of light, but by the time I walked down the dirt path from the cabin to the road I could see where I was going and I started to take in the beauty of the crisp morning.
Looking ahead all I could see was a long country road lined with cattle fences that headed straight toward Lone Cone Mountain. It was amazing. I can’t get this kind of scenery where I live, so I soaked up every glorious minute of it. As I started to run, I realized that it was a little colder than I thought and my hands started to hurt a little, but I knew if I kept running they’d warm up after a mile or so – and I was right. The first mile flew by and I was warmed up and feeling great. Even at 7000+ elevation, my breathing was fine and my body felt good.
As I continued down the road it was still barely dawn and I saw something run across the road ahead of me and sneak into the grass just beyond the cattle fence next to the road. Great. What was that!? It looked like it was something small, tan and had a tail. Someone had mentioned that there have been mountain lions in the area, so I freaked out a little. I think it was a coyote, but since I couldn’t tell for sure I panicked a little, picked up the pace and kept looking back to see if anything was following me. A little nerve-wracking, but it ended up fine; nothing came after me.
The cows were out grazing and as I passed each herd, I laughed to myself because they all stopped eating to watch me run by. Unfortunately, the deer grazing in the fields weren’t as curious and they ran as soon as they saw me coming, but I got to watch them gracefully leap and bound their way through the tall grass.
My route was an out and back, so after the paved road ended I entered a National Forest area for about ½ mile and then turned back. With each hill I could feel the effects of the elevation catching up with me, but at 3 ½ miles I still felt really good so I stopped for a few moments to take some pictures with my camera phone. Unfortunately, the pictures didn’t turn out that great and don’t do the view justice, but at least I still have the image in my mind.
By the time I headed back to the cabin, the sun had risen above the mountains and warmed the air a bit. It was absolutely the perfect run. I couldn’t have asked for anything better. It was one of those runs that reminded me of why I love to run and how much I appreciate the peacefulness of the great outdoors. When I reached the cabin, I was greeted by three deer in the field next to the house, which made it a perfect ending to a great run.
Where Does the Time Go?
August 9th, 2010 § 1 Comment
Week in and week out, I keep a pretty busy schedule. Get up at 5 a.m., get ready for work, leave the house by 6:20 and get to work by 7, work til 4:30 (on personal training days) or 5 on other days, workout/run, home by 6:30 or 7, make dinner and eat by 8, shower at 9, in bed by 10:30 and start the whole thing over again the next day. On the weekends, I still get up around 5 a.m. on Saturday to get a run in but I have Sunday’s to sleep in. Then of course there’s the onslaught of laundry, cleaning, grocery shopping and other miscellaneous tasks and errands that need to be done. On top of that, there’s always a fun social engagement that we’re headed off to.
I would like to say “there’s not enough hours in the day”, but if I say that, then what I’m really saying is that I’d like to be busier than I already am because I know myself; if I had extra time, I’d just fill it with something else. Just ask my husband. Unfortunately, he often gets the short end of the stick when it comes to my time, which is terrible and downright inexcusable. But I’m stuck. What do I cut out of my schedule to find more time? I love my running. The groceries won’t buy themselves. I have to work. I’m at a loss. Sigh. Maybe the upcoming weekend trip to Colorado and then our trip to Europe in September will give me a chance to spend some time away from the schedules and away from the chores and clear my mind of all the clutter. A few good runs, some QT with my loving and understanding husband and time away from the daily life; sounds like a good plan.
Stuffed Anaheim Peppers
August 6th, 2010 § 2 Comments
I purchased my first Bountiful Basket (CSA) last week and included with all my fruits and veggies were a bunch of Anaheim peppers. I like to use these peppers in homemade salsa, but there were a ton of them and I wasn’t sure what to do with them all. I seached the Web for some recipes and came across one for stuffed Anaheim peppers and thought it sounded pretty good. It’s a vegetarian dish (I told you I was changing things up), but I didn’t really miss the meat. Next time, I could add some shredded chicken and I’m sure it would be great!
Ingredients
4-6 large Anaheim peppers (be sure to pick ones that aren’t curved)
½ cup cooked rice (I used brown, but white will work)
½ cup salsa
½ cup fresh corn (optional – I used corn that I received in my CSA basket)
¾ cup shredded cheese (Cheddar or Colby Jack)
½ cup black beans
Directions
Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Bring water to a full boil in a 4-quart sauce pan.
Meanwhile, cut each pepper lengthwise down one side from the stem to within ½-inch of the tip. You can either remove the seeds and veins from the peppers now (which I find a little easier) or after they are boiled. Place the peppers in the boiling water and cook for 4-5 minutes. Remove and rinse with cold water and remove seeds and veins if you didn’t remove them before boiling.
Combine the cooked rice, salsa, corn, ½ cup cheese and beans in a bowl. Spray a jelly roll pan or baking sheet with cooking spray (I lined mine with foil for easier clean up). Fill each pepper with the rice mixture.
Place peppers in the prepared pan. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 15 minutes. Uncover and sprinkle with remaining ¼ cup cheese. Bake for 2-4 minutes or until cheese is melted.
Note: if there is any leftover rice stuffing, it makes a great healthy snack!
Recipe adapted from Land O’Lakes.
