National Running Day & Trail Surprise

Did you know today is National Running Day? I didn’t until earlier this morning.

It had been what felt like ages since I took Roadie for a run through the trails, so I thought it would be the perfect excuse to lace up my sneakers and make a loop.

It had also been a while since I had an entire morning and afternoon off from the gym, so I made sure we took our time to really soak in the sights and sounds of the beautiful outdoors.

We kept a pretty easy pace all the way up to the trail, then spent most of our path jogging and walking the rest. The trails were SO busy today!

Runners, bikers, and walkers breezed by us from both directions. Normally, I would have been worried and wonder how Roadie would react to so many people passing at once, but he was behaving surprisingly well.

The biggest surprise (and test) of all came when a large group of walkers and dogs approached.

I’m not exaggerating when I say there were at least 30 or so dogs coming towards us. They all moved at the same pace and listened to the leader in front giving commands. I figured it was some kind of training group, but I didn’t want to jinx his good behavior and get close enough to ask anyone where they came from. What a great little community though!

I was very pleased with how calm Roadie stayed the whole time they passed. He sat and waited, just like I asked him to, and he didn’t try to do anything crazy like charge at a dog to play. He was being such a good boy!

About the same time, I received an important phone call, so we took that as a sign to really take our time and enjoy the rest of our “run”. Hello, Spring flowers!

We were approaching another walker coming our way, so I led Roadie off the path and to an overlook we sometimes visit.

The water looked murky, but the rest of it was breathtaking. Michigan sure can be pretty. We even saw a deer in the distance!

It took us a total of an hour to walk, jog, and run 4 miles, which normally takes us thirty or forty minutes. Sometimes it’s nice to just take a step back and and enjoy a run, you know?

I knew I needed lunch as soon as I got out of the shower and was craving all sorts of vegetables. I went to town chopping anything I found in the refrigerator, and I made a base for a monster salad to last me a couple of days.

I started with fresh organic romaine lettuce and added the other vegetables right in the salad spinner. I like to store the leftovers that way, and my salads tend to last longer and stay crispier with the extra ventilation.

I lined a dinner plate with the salad, then added tabbouleh, turkey, and a side of cottage cheese. It was a great combo!

Romaine lettuce, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, red peppers, green peppers, banana peppers, celery, tabbouleh, and cracked pepper seasoned turkey with a side of cottage cheese

I drizzled my salad with Greek dressing and polished it all off with a slice of toasted sandwich bread smeared in Earth Balance vegan butter.

Scott liked the looks of this Rudolph’s half loaf, so we picked it up on our last trip to Nino Salvaggio’s. It was quite good!

Well, I better get going. I’ve got an appointment at the gym and then a full night of activities planned starting with a mid-week service at church.

I hope you all have a great rest of your night!

 

Question of the Afternoon

• Are you planning on doing anything (or did you do anything) for National Running Day?