That’s what I was thinking when I was locked out of my apartment after my awesome 6 mile run tonight!!!! But more on that in a moment.

On Sunday after I had a mediocre at best run, I was complaining to Mark and he said, “It’s like when I play Street Fighter, sometimes I win and sometimes I lose.” Well, I think “I won” today! After work I went to the gym to run the 6 miles on my training schedule. I was dreading the whole thing because I was tired and it was hot. When I got there, I found that my iPod was dead and I headed home to charge it. While charging, I prepped my dinner. About a half hour later I went back to run, but this time I decided to seize the opportunity of the new cool breeze and run outside instead of in the stuffy, stinky gym. I took my iPod thinking it would last the whole time, but alas, it only made it 20 minutes. I did something I have never done before, run with absolutely no external entertainment. Music is very important to my running. Early in a run I can tell if I am going to get in my grove depending on whether my music annoys me or pumps me up. For the first time, I listened when I ran and got lost in my thoughts. I learned I wheeze A LOT!!!! I would tell you to try running with no iPod but if someone told me that, I would have said NO WAY; so if you dare, give it a whirl.

Running Stats

• Miles: 6.167
• Time: 51:44
• Av HR: 157
• Max HR: 170
• Cals: 396

The whole time I was running I ignored the feeling that I’d locked myself out and assured myself that Mark would be home. Sure enough, I was locked out and although Mark’s car was there, he did not answer my constant doorbell ringing. I walked over to a parked police car (how safe of me) and asked to use his phone.  He offered to send the fire department, but I thought it better to try a few less dramatic tactics first. I am embarrassed to say this, but in the world of cell phones, I don’t know Mark’s phone number!!! I called his parents instead, who called Mark and eventually returned from the Town Council Meeting to let me in. I guess this is the risk of running outside.

Needless to say, I was pretty hungry when I finally got upstairs. Good thing I already assembled my dinner: Spinach Stuffed Peppers and Salad.

Last night when I did my spinach juicing, I decided to save the “excess spinach” that comes out of the end of my juicer and use it for dinner tonight.

• 2 Cups Chopped Spinach (plus 1/4 cup spinach mash – I guess you could just add more chopped spinach)
• 6 Cherry Tomatoes Quartered
• 1/2 C Part Skim Ricotta Cheese
• Garlic Powder
• Pepper

I baked this at 350* for about 10 minutes (I wanted the pepper to retain some crunch) and topped it with Mezzetta Nappa Valley Bistro All Natural Homemade Style Mariana. Totally delicious! I love all the components of this dinner, so it’s not surprising that I gobbled it all up. Best of all, it’s fast and easy to make – perfect for hangry people.

On the side I had a salad with tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots and kidney beans.

I also wanted to show you my two shameful and one not sooooo shameful snack from today.

And my dessert… Pita and Pecan Butter

It Worked!

Marianne made my Cadbury Mini Egg Cookie Bars!!!! She substituted wheat flour for the spelt flour and is thinking of making them with brown sugar next time. I say go for it!!!! Check out her experience with a Hangry Pants recipe, and feel free to send me your own Hangry Pants success or failure story!

And I am wondering …

Given my locked out situation today, I need to know: what do you do with your stuff when you run?

Oh man did I eat a lot of great stuff today! I can’t wait to show it all, but first …

Running

I finally did it! I finally ran outside. I picked a nice park near my parents’ house and made myself go. I tried to plot a route on Map My Run, but it’s kind of hard to do in a park without street names and stuff. I used my HRM and past stats to try to pace myself and it ended up being quite enjoyable. I think pacing is extremely important for me. Because I am used to running on a treadmill, running outside seems very slow. I tend to run much faster outside and burn out quickly. Today I did much better with that, and even though it was cold and extra windy because I was on the water, it was fun and not that bad at all. It gave me confidence for further distances and the half marathon. Based on previous statistics, I estimate that I did over 6.5 miles. I burned more calories than usual, which I think is from the hills and wind. If anyone is in North Jersey and knows a running place with marked miles, please let me know!

• Total Miles: 6.5 – 6.7?
• Time: 1:00:40
• Av. HR: 160
• Max HR: 184
• Calories: 481

Eating

I came home in time to make Roasted Asparagus Salad with Citrus Dressing with my niece for Easter Dinner and had a pre-dinner Oatmeal Cranberry cookie made by my sister. Everyone, as much as I enjoy my healthy cookie creations, there is nothing like a buttery oatmeal cookie. They were delicious and I had 2 more for dessert! Excellent work sister Nicole!

For dinner, Mark and I kicked off Leng’s Salad Challenge with a bang. Mine on the left, Mark’s on the right.

• Romaine
• Radicchio
• Endive
• Artichoke Hearts
• Gorgonzola Crumbles
• Dried Cherries
• Dijon White Wine Dressing  (My sister Nadine makes the BEST salad dressing)
• Mark’s also has a pepper stuffed with Prosciutto and Cheese

I had seconds and then picked out all the cherries from the big bowl.

I also wanted to show my mom’s chicken soup, which is something I would make a meatless exception for. It comes with little meatballs!  I didn’t have any today because I was saving room for candy.

The main meal was ham, but I piled my plate with cabbage, butternut squash and asparagus. I also had a ciabatta roll.

Like I said, for dessert, I had two more Oatmeal Cranberry cookies and one bite of Ricotta Pie (recipe to follow).

Mark and I drove back to N.J. with minimal traffic and then I had Dark Chocolate Mini Cadbury Eggs. These are the best chocolate treats and I had much more than pictured. Let’s just say I made the Easter Bunny proud.

I hope everyone had a great weekend and is ready for the week.