Running, and an abnormally large dinner, even for me

Today marks the first day of a four day weekend for me. One of the many benefits of working at a Jewish agency without actually being Jewish. Side note here - it drives me mildly crazy when people wish me Happy Easter since I don't celebrate it. It's even more ridiculous to get those messages at work since I work for, oh yeah, a Jewish agency. I'm starting to have some understanding of what Christmas must be like for everyone who doesn't celebrate it.

This morning I woke up and decided I'd go to the gym later to run. I went over to Turtle Bread since I've been ruined forever and can't eat bread that's more than a day or two old. I got a chocolate croissant for breakfast. Just 'cause I could. When I got home I realized there was a rare opportunity for an afternoon run with the St Paul runners so I ate some yogurt and got ready. Much better than running at the gym.

I had a great time running my tail off with Beth and Jenna. It's a good preview of the Twin Cities Marathon route. It's also nice to make peace with that part of the river parkway since the last time I was on it I felt like I was going to die. Actually, I was there one time after that for a 20-mile training run and that run didn't go so well either. (Can't have been too good because there's not even a blog post about it!) How the St Paul runners feel about Lake Nokomis and the Cedar Avenue bridge is how I feel about the River Parkway. The peace making process must continue.

Funny story about the run: Jenna and Beth actually continued east on Summit where I turned off at Fairview because they were doing a 10-miler (over-achievers that they are!) so I ran the block or two back to my car unaccompanied. It was the prettiest day ever and the sun was shining down on us the entire run so I was fairly hot and thirsty. To say I had cotton-mouth would be an understatement. It felt like I had an entire plantation in my mouth. The best relief to such an unpleasant sensation is to swish a little water in my mouth and then spit it out. Beth's husband Gordon has some kind of timing because as he was pulling up to the house he got an excellent view of me spitting water out my car window. (Spitting is never gross when running. Do non-runners understand this?) His window was rolled up so luckily I didn't have to say anything. I'm sure I would've turned bright red in embarrassment if I'd had to say hello after that.

After the run I stopped by Sister Sludge for an Iced Mocha. For those of you who drink coffee, this place has the best iced drinks ever. One of their ice cubes is frozen espresso so as the drink melts the coffee taste doesn't get watered out. Mmmm. So good!

Tonight I went out with Amanda's family for Easter to Buca Di Beppo where I ate every single calorie I burned running and probably a few more. The Alfredo hit the spot. Her family includes three teenagers so I was pleasantly entertained for dinner. Afterwords we walked around the shopping area for a little while. I was actually able to buy a couple new pairs of running shorts, something I'd needed for a while. As far as running gear, I'll probably buy more sports bras (who can ever have enough?) and I need to get a couple shirts for the flying pig so I match my running partner. I'm planning on painting our names on them, more for her than for me. Because, really, for your first half-marathon, you should have a shirt with your name on it so people can cheer specifically for you. (They will too.) It's kind of nice to be the more experienced runner in a race this long. I can't wait!

After dinner I came home and cleaned and organized for a little while. I also made a list of things I'd like to accomplish in the next four days. A surprise addition, but something I genuinely want to accomplish, is to establish a guitar-playing area in my living room. Sadly, I think it may require dismantling the beast that is my entertainment center. (Now that I think about it, I'm not sure I can do that alone.) We'll see. I'm sure I'll be able to figure something out.