Ready to Race

As I mentioned in Friday's post, my sister Lea and her husband Ryan came to visit this weekend. In one of our conversations we got to talking about running, since Ryan will be participating in his first marathon next weekend. As I approach the one year anniversary of my introduction to the world of running, I have been pondering the idea of completing my first race; I think doing so seems to be the logical next step as I develop my interest in the sport. I did a little research and found a 5k that will be taking place during my spring break next month, and I plan on signing up ASAP. I also found another one taking place in May in the Birmingham Zoo--how cool is that?! For you runners out there, have you ever participated in a race? What was your favorite part of the experience? Don't judge me for saying this, but in addition to the novelty of the racing experience, I am also looking forward to all the freebies available at the end of the race (I'm keeping my fingers crossed for mini Larabars!).

In addition to our running chit-chat, Lea, Ryan, and I had a fabulous time this weekend. It's always nice to have visitors, but I especially appreciated having a mini-vacation from schoolwork to break up the semester. Here's what we munched along the way:

Friday
Before heading to bed, I made a quick Pina Colada smoothie, with Spirutein, soymilk, pineapple, coconut, and granola.
Saturday
I prepared a quick breakfast to enjoy before Lea and Ryan arrived. I made a banana-blueberry smoothie with rice milk and served it with some toast spread with Sunbutter.
Since we couldn't manage to finagle any tickets for the basketball game, we headed to a sports bar (Champp's) to watch Duke beat Miami. The vegetarian pickins' were slim (OK, nonexistent), so I ordered a Greek salad, sans chicken and egg. We also ordered an ice cream sundae to share among the three of us...I can't say no to hot fudge:)
After a glorious trip to Trader Joe's, we headed to my favorite Greek restaurant for dinner. (I dined here last October with my parents as well). This time I ordered an order of the hummus and pita and a bowl of vegetable stew. You can't beat authentic hummus and warm pita! The stew was delicious as well; the eggplant and potatoes made for very hearty and filling dish.
Even after all that food, I was still hungry for my evening shake. I made a strawberry-banana-chocolate concoction, using Spirutein and soymilk. I tossed a few bunnies on top for good measure.
Sunday
I made my usual Sunday morning stovetop oats, inspired by another Girl Scout cookie: the lemon chalet cremes. I combined oats with rice milk, vanilla, and lemon zest, then crumbled a Lemon Bar Larabar on top. Heaven.
For lunch, we went to Elmo's. Yes, I am very consistent about the places I choose to dine in Durham. Anyway, this time I ordered the vegetarian taco salad with black beans and plenty of jalapenos. This salad would be perfect if it came with the option of guacamole...
After saying goodbye to my guests, a sudden illness came over me, so I didn't feel much like eating (or doing homework). I finally did regain my appetite around 9PM, so I just put together a simple meal: greens with tomatoes, walnuts, white beans, reduced-fat cheese, and Bragg's; crackers and a tie-dye blood orange.
I kept my smoothie simple last night: peaches, peach Spirutein, soymilk, and granola.
Monday
Inspired by a post by Kath a few months ago, I decided to make a banana dog for breakfast this morning. I simply placed a banana in a warmed whole wheat hot dog bun, spread with White Chocolate Wonderful PB. I also had a dish of TJ's Greek yogurt. Delish.
I am counting down the days until spring break now...anyone have exciting plans? I am going to DC for one weekend, where we'll be eating here and here. I am such a foodie--I plan my trips around the restaurants!

Enjoy the rest of your Monday!