I did it!

First half marathon of the year/first long run post-injury - CHECK!

Probably not my best idea ever, but I decided to still run/walk/jog the National Half Marathon this weekend. My longest run/walk had only been 45 minutes, but I couldn't let my running buddies run their first half marathon alone - especially since I coerced them into signing up ;p

Susan came over to drop off our race packets, feast on some pasta and talk race morning logistics. Check out the nifty new bib timing:

Crazy, right? These little strips are located on the back of your bib and you need to strategically place your bib on your torso and have it visible at all times on your outermost layer. Eh....ok? I ended up attaching my bib to a t-shirt that I wore over a long sleeve shirt. Long sleeve shirt got tossed (and may I say it was quite a sight as I tried to take off the long sleeve shirt mid run) eventually. I think I prefer the D-tag timing. Much easier to deal with.

I had a pretty good jog on the Mall Friday evening - 30 minutes of straight jogging (yay!) followed by a nice long stretch session so I figured I would be good to go on Saturday morning. Plan was to take it at a comfortable jog for the first few miles and then switch to a run/walk. I was feeling good for the most part so I ended up running at a comfy pace until about mile 8 and then took it down a notch.

Kept it at a slow pace until mile 10 and then switched to the run/walk, with a little extra run at the end, and finished in 2:18. Definitely not my fastest time, but not my slowest either! I'll take it :) I stretched, Sticked and iced a bit before work and was feeling pretty good...until the next morning. OW. Achilles is still a little swollen, but not really painful. Fingers crossed I didn't mess things up too much :(

Enough about my lame run. My running buddies finished their first half marathon!! WOOO hooray for Sparky and Susan! We celebrated with a few of these

at the Brickskeller in Dupont where we met up with another half marathon finisher friend and shared some race stories. Apparently there was a dude running barefoot through the streets of DC. UM, no. I'm sorry, but every time I see people running straight up BAREFOOT, I cringe. These are city streets. They are filthy. I don't even like my shoes touching them. Who knows what you are stepping in...and I'm pretty sure there are random sharp particles scattered around. *shudder*

O wait, I forgot the most important part of the weekend - DINNER! Haha. Susan and I planned a pre-race sushi dinner, but I swapped it out for a home cooked diner last minute since I should be saving some cash. I got a little experimental and made Artichoke Edamame Pesto. Totally winged it and the consistency of the pesto in the blender was looking a too thick, but it ended up fine once I mixed it with the pasta. I must say it was a tasty success!

Bowties with Artichoke Edamame Pesto and Mushrooms

1 1/2 tbsp Artichoke Edamame Pesto (see below)

3 c bowtie pasta, cooked

1/4 c pasta water

1/2 package cremini mushrooms, sliced

1 tbsp olive oil

Heat olive oil in a large pan. Add mushrooms and cook for 5-7 minutes. Add pesto, pasta and some of the pasta water. Stir to coat, adding pasta water as necessary to thin out the mixture.

Artichoke Edamame Pesto

1 1/2 c edamame, blanched

3 cloves garlic

6 pieces quartered artichoke hearts

1/4 c hazelnuts, chopped

2/3 c olive oil

1/4 c manchego cheese, shredded

1/2 tsp chili garlic paste

14 large basil leaves

Place first 4 ingredients in a food processor or blender and puree. Add remaining ingredients and puree.

Super easy, right? I think that was my fastest meal this month! Also, note my lack of meat. No, I'm not going vegetarian...I'm just too impatient to wait for my frozen meat to defrost haha.

Tonight's dinner was another impromptu dish since I wanted to clean out my cabinets and fridge. My creation - Tahini Mustard Wheatberry Salad.

I wanted to make a fish dish and started thinking I'd do a quick seared fish over mixed greens, but when I opened up my cabinet and saw the bag of wheatberries, I thought I should try something new.

Tahini Mustard Wheatberry Salad

1/2 c wheatberries, rinsed and drained

1 3/4 c water

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 c tahini

2 heaping tbsp whole grain mustard

1 tbsp honey

2 tbsp rice wine vinegar

1 tsp sesame oil

1 tbsp olive oil

1/4 c roasted red peppers, chopped

2 tbsp basil, chopped

1/4 tsp garlic powder

Boil water, salt and wheatberries for about 1 hour, drain and set aside.

In a measuring cup, combine tahini, mustard, honey, vinegar, oils and garlic powder. Scoop one heaping tablespoon of mixture into wheatberries and stir in basil and roasted red peppers. Let sit for at least 20 minutes for flavors to blend.

I made a simple white fish (um, I say white fish because I don't remember what the vacuumed pack freezer pack was) to set atop my wheatberry salad. I seasoned each side with salt and pepper and cooked it for a couple minutes on each side, drizzling it with some of that Balsamic Glaze my sister sent over.

Light and delicious - perfect for the weather we've been having lately! To round it all out, I had a mini salad with some leftover Sherry Shallot Vinaigrette.

Um, these pictures make my meal look GIGANTOR. Let it be known, that piece of fish was about 2/3 the length of my iPhone.