Things I learned this weekend...

1. I need to remember to wear a hat and/or sunscreen when I run outside. I didn't do any serious damage, but my cheeks and arms are a little pink.
2. The playground at the elementary school in my neighborhood is a great place to stretch. The monkey bars are perfect when I need to hold on to something to keep my balance. Walking through the wet grass and mulch in my good shoes made me twitch a little, though. ;-)
3. I finally managed to get the hang of making my quads do the work when I'm riding Thor. I don't know when or how it finally clicked, but I was definitely doing it (and keeping my heels down most of the time!) when I rode on Saturday. :)
   

I did seven miles this morning accompanied by a brand new playlist, and it was fabulous. (Linda and Kathy--I'd be happy to make copies for you, but I should warn you that I was a little less careful about lyrics on this one. It's not too horrifying, but I wouldn't play it around kids or easily offended grownups.) My schedule calls for cross-training tomorrow (spinning class!) and two miles on Tuesday. It also calls for tempo runs and speedwork in the future, which I need to figure out. I can obviously do it on a treadmill (ick!), but I'm not sure how to change/gauge my pace on my own. I'm hoping to sneak in a little reading time tomorrow afternoon to see what I can learn.

Since it's difficult to take pictures of myself running, I now present some photo documentation of my culinary exploits today.

Date and flax muffins--I made these with some freshly-ground multigrain (buckwheat, spelt, and one other kind of grain that I can't remember right now) flour that I got from the Okemos farmers market on Saturday, and the only added fat is the ground flaxseed. (Other ingredients are egg beaters, lowfat buttermilk, molasses, and spices.) I got the recipe from the sports nutrition book I've been reading, and I was pretty pleased with them. I was nervous because they look a little like hockey pucks, but they taste good and were surprisingly moist. Next time, I'm going to use dried cherries or cranberries in place of the dates, though.















Peach-glazed barbecue pork chops--I made the glaze myself (thank you, Cooking Light). It has peaches, chardonnay, white wine vinegar, molasses, chili powder, paprika, and a couple of other ingredients). I had it with steamed asparagus and sweet potatoes that I wrapped in foil and "baked" on the grill (the potatoes were done by the time I put the pork chops on, though):