Did You Know ...

that ... if you peel a banana from the "bottom" (the end farthest from the tree) you don't get any of those strings? Fun facts to know and tell. And I thought I'd start this post with something light. :-)

that ... there was an article story in yesterday's Post-Bulletin about Joann Johnson riding TRAM (bike ride across MN) for the past 20 years, raising money for MS? Check it out. I've got several friends with MS, so this is something I certainly support.

that ... the Garmin 310XT Garmin 310XT is now available at Running Room? Yup, it's true. (Note: I think by default the prices on the Running Room website are in Canadian dollars ... just so you don't get sticker shock!)

that ... I ran with my friend "Etta" this morning? We ran somewhere over 4 miles at 6 AM. Very pleasant and fun. Her dog Puck came along "for the ride". He loves to run. I was very humbled by her post today. It was such a simple, easy thing to do for her and with her--just go for a little run together. :-) She probably thinks I made her day. Little does she know that she made my day.

that ... I rode down to the DQ on the beltline to meet her (about 3.5 miles) and ran a few more miles when I got home for a total of 9.09 miles. I stopped along the way to pick (and eat) black raspberries, which are just a little past their prime now, so instead of a 10-mile run, I ended up with 9. :-) Totally fine with that. And I again stained the nails and fingers on my right hand purplish. It's very evident during the summer that I'm a "worker" bee rather than a "queen" bee. Beautiful manicured nails they are not!!

that ... I did TNT tonight? (Helmet hair--ugh!)

It was a beautiful evening for a practice triathlon. The suggested workout was the usual 2 loops--2 loops in the water for 400M, 2 loops on the bike for about 8 miles and 2 mile run--but in reverse. So it would be run/bike/swim. 5 of us decided that we'd rather do things in the usual order--swim/bike/run. So that's what we did. And I decided ... that I wanted to do 3 "loops" of everything. So I did a 600 meter swim, 12 mile bike and 5K run. Totals for the day (I rode up to TNT): 32.20 miles on the bike, 12.19 miles running, 600 meter swim. A good workout.

that ... I made Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip cookies for TNT? A Ron Giles favorite.

We had a small group,

and several people ended up bringing home a handful of them.

Peanut butter cookies (from Cook's Illustrated)

2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 sticks salted butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup extra-crunch peanut butter, preferably Jif, room temperature
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup roasted salted peanuts, ground in food processor to resemble bread crumbs (about 14 pulses)

Preheat oven to 350 and line cookie sheets with parchment. Whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.

Either by hand or with an electric mixer, beat the butter until creamy. Add sugars and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes with a mixer, scraping bowl as necessary. Beat in peanut butter until fully incorporated, then eggs, one at a time, then vanilla.

Gently stir dry ingredients into peanut butter mixture. Add ground peanuts, stir gently until incorporated.

Working with generous 2 tablespoons roll dough into 2-inch balls. Place on cookie sheets, leaving 2-1/2 inches between each ball. Press each dough ball twice with a dinner fork dipped in cold water to make a cross hatch design. (I don't do this--I just flatten them slightly.)

Bake, reversing position of cookie sheet, halfway through baking time, until cookies are puffed and slightly brown along edges but not on top, about 10-12 minutes. Cool on cookie sheet until set, about 4 minutes, then transfer to wire rack and cool completely.

Thank you to whoever shouted, "And by the way, I love your blog!" as I was riding away. :-) You rock.

When I got home, and after I got cleaned up, I made my I-never-seem-to-tire-of-it salad. I had some greens that needed to be used up. The rest of the family had hamburgers on the grill. Just didn't feel like eating a leftover hamburger at the time. But I had some leftover sweet corn. And some Great Harvest 9-grain bread. Yummy meal.

Well, I guess I better do my P.T. (I have another appt. in the morning) and then get to bed. Twins are on ... and they're winning! 3-0. I love Fridays--I don't have to set my alarm.

Quote for the day:

"Don't walk in front of me, I may not follow.
Don't walk behind me, I may not lead.
Walk beside me and be my friend." --Albert Camus

TTFN.