Earning my Pie

The Thanksgiving holiday weekend was a blast. I am sad that it is over. So, in an effort to make it last I am going to recount right now. Wednesday involved a morning workout with the UIC team, a bike ride and then a trip to Whole Foods for groceries (along with everyone else in Chicago). Luckily I did not have that much to get because we ordered a lot of side dishes from Charlie Trotters To Go since it is about 10 steps from our house. Definitely makes things easier. All I have to do is make a salad, stick the turkey in the oven and boil potatoes. We got a pie from Sweet Mandy B's---turtle pecan.

On Thursday morning I was able to do my first running race of the fall! I was excited. I jogged down to the start line which was about 1.7 miles from my house, lined up during the National Anthem and then we were off. I don't think my heartrate even had time to come down. The only problem with arriving late to a race with 5000 people...a bad starting position. I spent the first mile or so dodging in and out of people, jumping over puddles and trying not to get taken down by others doing the same thing. I finally found some running room and let myself run hard. Since I have not done a ton of hard running due to my injured heel I was definitely hurting at the end. However, it felt great. I ran through the finish line, stopped for a second because I felt like I was going to puke and then jogged home. Once I got home I bundled up and jumped on the cross bike for an easy ride down on the Lakefront to spin out the legs. While this hurt (a lot) at first, I knew I would feel better post ride. Plus, I was fully aware I was going to have a slice of pie (or two) later on and I wanted to make sure I earned by pie. I think I did.

Friday was a swim, breakfast with my parents, a bit of shopping and then another ride. It was a beautiful sunny and cold day but I found that if I bundle up I can stand it. Plus, I feel super tough going outside to ride when it's cold. I also have the lakefront path to myself which is great. Now, I have my limits but I will go out if it is 35 degrees or warmer. Saturday was a run, weights and then a swim. I also made an awesome Turkey soup with the leftovers that even Andy enjoyed. He always complains that soup is not a meal but I think he was happy with this one.

Then came this morning. I had a 3 hour ride scheduled. It was cold and cloudy but the radar looked relatively clear and I figured that I could deal with a few sprinkles. However, one hour into my ride there was a huge flash of lightening, a very loud crack of thunder followed by a downpour. Luckily, I was near a tunnel so I quickly found cover, along with some other runners, and called Andy to pick me up so I could finish my ride on the Computrainer. I was a little pissed riding home in the car with my dirty bike and facing a 2 hour ride on the CT. However, I made the best of it and had a good ride in spite of being indoors. I think the indoor riding season has officially begun. I am just going to have to suck it up and remember the positives...and they are???? Oh yes, uninterrupted intervals and the ability to catch up on music and bad TV.

Tomorrow is Yoga. And, back to work.