Lovin' It

I just can't get enough of this weather. What a super wonderful day! The breakfast run this morning turned out great! I didn't get an exact count (and there were more than were in this photo) but there were somewhere between 30 and 35, which is typical.

Several frontlaoded with early miles at 6:30 and one showed up at 5:30!! I went out to see who it was, but he was already gone by the time I got out there. Found out it was Dave Phillips getting in his 20-miler before Outer Banks. Speaking of outer banks ... from the website: 7:20 AM Course time limit is 3:00 PM. Runners will need to maintain a pace of 17:10 per mile in order to "beat the bridge" at mile 22.  The bridge will be closed to runners at 1:50 PM. This makes me a bit hopeful. Any running I can do will help of course, but a 17:10 pace is a fairly leisurely walk for me. So maybe, just maybe, I can run/walk this marathon for my 50th birthday. That would make me VERY happy. As I mentioned yesterday, I ran 6 miles last night and I felt better than the last time I ran. I can still feel the "hamstring thing" but I had more leg lift and I could run an 8:00 to 8:15 pace fairly comfortably. It feels very good tonight as I sit here. Maybe I'll run a little in the morning and see how it goes. It's just going to take a while ... when you're as old as the hills, as I will be in a few weeks, it takes a while to heal. : ) Back to breakfast ...

Most everyone ran the base of the hill which is a little over 7 miles if you go up and down Fox Valley Drive on the west.

Eric and his friend Rik (no "c") did a taste test for me. I passed.

This was the spread. I think that tomorrow I will take a break from baking (I made a turtle cake today).

Raves and faves? The steel cut oats in the crock pot (I should have made at least 2 crock pots full), the egg bakes (one veggie, one not), fresh fruit, and the apricot/almond coffee cake. I'll post some recipes soon. Here's the lowdown on the steel cut oats though: 1 part steel cut oats and 4 parts liquid (I used a combo of apple juice and water). Cook in a crock pot overnight on low. In the morning add: cinnamon, a dash of vanilla, brown sugar, chopped walnuts or pecans, chopped apples and/or pears, Craisins or raisins, ... whatever sounds good. Very easy.

I don't know what was going on with my flash, but lots of the pix are fuzzy.

Mike brought his precious, beautiful new daughter, Lucy. She's a gorgeous baby. Mike let me hold her and give her a bottle. What a treat.

A good morning. Good to see my running buds. : ) And it sounds like Millie will run Boston with us. Staying at the Ramada where I've got reservations: Andy, Roger, Jim Li. Staying at other locations: Trevor, Maureen, Millie, Kristin Z. I'm not sure: Shaun palmer.

This afternoon I went for a bike ride after making the cake portion of the Cooking Light version of turtle cake.

 I have to take advantage of this great weather before the bike has to head indoors to a trainer. : ( I had a most awesome ride. Today I rode the Salem Corners/Rock Dell/High Forest/Simpson loop that I'd contemplated on Thursday as the wind was from the SW. When I left home it felt like there was virtually no wind. Well, by the time I got out in the country, there was definitely a wind.

I was happy to finally head east.

The colors are beautiful. This is northeast of High Forest.

Going north was REALLY fun.

I don't know what was going on here on St. Bridget's Road.

Here's a photo of Simpson if you've never been there.

Not much in the town. Maybe a dozen or so houses and a couple of structures that used to hold businesses at one time.

It was pretty fun going north on County 1. : ) I was really in the mood to hammer today. Hammer I did.

A most excellent ride. 41.77 miles. Tomorrow I'll go for a loooong ride I do believe.

When I got home Ada and I finished putting together the turtle cake. Yum.

My brother and family came over for dinner. I made some homemade pesto and whole wheat penne pasta with sugar snap peas and yellow sweet pepper. Very healthy and delicious. The pesto is a Cooking Light recipe and has only 1 Tbsp of olive oil in it. Made chicken too.

A very good day. Very busy, but very good. : )
 
Like sands through the hour glass, so are the days of my life. Toodles.