Jogging My Memory

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend.

I started off Thursday by participating in the Sacramento Run to Feed the Hungry. I decided to run in the 10k timed race. I laid everything out the night before.

Thursday morning I woke up and then drove through the masses of traffic to my friend Megan’s apartment, about a mile from the starting line. A friend’s dad picked us up and dropped a group of us off near the starting line. Because of the huge numbers of participants there were 2 different starting times, 8:45 am for the 10k and 9:05 for the rest of the race. I had to hustle to the starting line to make it on time. Megan and most of the rest of the group was walking the 5k, so they weren’t in any hurry.

Fortunately, I made it with a minute or two to spare. I couldn’t believe how absolutely packed the race was, and it made me pretty nervous that I wouldn’t be able to finish in under 55 minutes.

When the gun finally went off, I got going but got somewhat caught up in the masses. I started my watch when I actually got across the mats at the starting line.

It was a little slower going than I would have liked for the first mile, because there were just so many people. I felt like I was constantly dodging people and trying to weave around others. The crowd thinned out, but it was still much more crowded than I was used to.

At the mile markers I checked my watch to  make sure I was keeping up a good pace, and I was at around an 8:15. During the fourth mile it got a little more crowded, a girl probably about 12 or 13 cut in front of me and was basically weaving back in forth, so it was impossible to get around her. I really had to keep my temper in check to not yell at her, because I knew she was slowing me down! When I saw the 5 mile marker I tried to pick up the pace a little. I was doing well, going a little faster, but then the course turned a corner starting the straightaway towards the finish line, and combining the runners from the 10k and 5k into the same course. It was extremely crowded, and I again had to dodge and weave around people to keep up my pace. I left it all out on the course and was so glad when I finally crossed the finish line.

I ended up finishing in 51:23.5 (8:17 min/mile average) setting a new PR for the 10 k! I was soo excited that I met my goal of finishing under 55 minutes, and I couldn’t believe that I beat my last 10 k time by over 6 minutes (57:30 was my last 10 k time).

I walked to the after-race party, and then texted Megan to find out where they were. I then started walking towards her apartment where they had stopped mid race (the course went right around her apartments). I was so glad to finally get there. Some of Megan’s friends had set up a “mimosa stand” outside the apartment complex. I grabbed one as soon as I got there, and then went and got a half bagel with some veggie cream cheese from Megan’s apartment. That bagel and mimosa tasted sooo good after that race!

Once the  mimosas were gone, we cleaned up. Look at the champagne aftermath bahahah!

After cleaning up a big group of us walked to a nearby bar for some more post-race drinks. I had a really good bloody mary, and then I shared another with Megan.

It was a lot of fun going to the bar and chatting about everyone’s different Thanksgiving plans. I never imagined I would go to a bar in my running clothes haha.

Around noon we walked back to Megan’s apartment, then I headed home to get cleaned up and make some Brûléed Mashed Sweet Potatoes to take to Megan’s sister’s house for dinner.

I returned to Megan’s at about 1:50. Megan, John, and I loaded up the car and then drove to San Carlos for Thanksgiving Dinner at Megan’s sister Jen’s house. We ate some cookie dough on the way…it was Amazing!

There was an amazing spread of appetizers and of course some great wine. One of the things I love about California is that there is NEVER a shortage of good wine!

Jen had done an amazing job decorating for the holiday. The tables all looked beautiful.

After appetizers and chatting, Megan and her mom worked on the salads. I helped set them out.

Everything looked so classy and delicious when we sat down for the first course – salads with tomatoes, mozzarella, basil, and a delicious homemade dressing and rolls.

After the salads, the rest of the dishes were set out for people to serve themselves.

Here’s my plate. I had a little of everything, except stuffing which I had a lot of.

There were mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, my Brûléed Mashed Sweet Potatoes, green bean casserole, asparagus, turkey, stuffing, cranberry relish, and a few other dishes.

Everything tasted amazing. I love Thanksgiving!

I had a few glasses of wine with dinner. I don’t remember which wines I tried, but they were all fantastic! It was a lot of fun getting to sit and chat with Megan and John.

I ate this amazing Ritz and Peanut Butter Cracker Sandwich dipped in white chocolate before dessert.

There were a few different pie options, but I had to go with the traditional Thanksgiving pie. I had a slice of pumpkin pie with whipped cream, a no bake cookie, and a chocolate chip cookie. The pumpkin pie was delicious!

A few more glasses of wine were consumed, and eventually people started to trickle out.

After helping clean up, we got into our pajamas. Then Megan, John, and I settled in on the couch to watch an episode of Law and Order which I only caught about 20 minutes of, because I dozed off. Once the episode was over, we went to bed.

I slept very well Thursday night. I was surprised I didn’t wake up groggy from all the wine.

Jen’s husband Dino was really nice, and went out and got us all Starbucks. I had a Skinny Non-Fat Vanilla Latte with Soy. It was amazing!

Jen made some quiches for breakfast. Yum.

Megan’s family wanted to take a picture for a Christmas card, so I was the designated photographer. While everyone got ready for the photo, I played with Dom, Megan’s nephew. He was absolutely adorable, and a lot of fun to play peek-a-boo with.

After the picture, we did some major straightening up from the night before. Then it was time for some Black Friday shopping. Megan, Jen, Megan’s Mom, and I all went to Bloomie’s for a little shopping. On the way to the mall I snacked on some crackers and cheese.

It was pretty crowded, and the sizes were picked through. I tried on a few super cute tops, and a dress, that unfortunately were outside my budget (the dress was $285!). It was fun to try on clothes though. We headed home around 4. We all snacked on some crackers on the way home, we were super hungry from all the shopping!

When we got back to Jen’s house after shopping, we threw together sandwiches and leftovers, here’s my plate.

After leftovers, Megan, John, and I packed up, said our goodbyes, and headed back to Sacramento.

I can’t thank Megan’s family enough for letting me spend Thanksgiving with them. They were so welcoming and I had a great time!

When I got home, I spent the rest of the evening relaxing.

Saturday was less than productive, and my eats were unimpressive, so we’ll just skip it.

This morning, I woke up and went for a 6.5 mile run in 58 minutes. I tried to start out a little slower, but my pace now is just naturally around an 8:30 starting out. I slowed down the last few miles. I can’t believe how much faster I’ve gotten over the past 6+ months.

When I got home, I cleaned up, and read a few chapters in a book, then I made a big lunch (I didn’t have any breakfast – bad I know).

I had an Annie Chunn’s Teriyaki Noodle Bowl. I added some steamed broccoli and a scrambled egg to bulk it up. It was pretty yummy, and very filling with the extra ingredients.

I had the last half of a Newman’s Own Organics Signature Series Mocha Milk Chocolate Bar for something sweet.

This afternoon I snacked on some Barbara’s Shredded Spoonfuls and Kashi Heart to Heart in skim milk.

Dinner was roasted crimini mushrooms, red onion, yellow squash, green pepper, seasoned with garlic powder, and lemon pepper, and topped with 1.5 oz Feta Cheese.

I topped it off with an apple dipped in TJ’s pumpkin butter. Love this combo!

I spent part of the afternoon/evening doing some minor holiday decorating. I’m not putting up Tyler and I’s Christmas tree this year, because it’s bigger than me and I just feel like putting it up for only a couple of weeks, for just me. I also spent some time downloading Trans-Siberian Orchestra on Amazon and then burning it on CD’s so I can listen over the surround sound. I’ve been to see Trans-Siberian Orchestra 3 times in concert. It’s one of my favorite things to do for the holidays. Tyler and I went last year with another couple and his parents. Right now, we don’t have plans to see them this year, so I need to get my fill at home. I <3 holiday music!

Whew, this has been a long and very tiring weekend. I’m going to relax for the rest of the evening and eat my dessert/evening snack: Newman’s Own Organics Pretzel Sticks, Annie’s Cheddar Bunnies, and Dark Chocolate Covered Blueberries.

Have a great week!

Tags: Annie's Cheddar Bunnies, apple, bars, bloody mary, celebrating, crackers and cheese, Dark Chocolate Covered Blueberries, friends, mashed potatoes, mimosas, Newman's Own Organics, personal record, pretzels, pumpkin butter, race, Roasted Veggies, running, shopping, Starbucks, sweet potatoes, Thanksgiving, turkey, wine