The wheels fell off when I got sick….. and came back on!

How is it already the second week of September? Is it me or has this year flown by at the speed of light? What is new with everyone been since the last time we chatted?

Last week started off great, I had a couple of well deserved rest days after the 30K and did an easy five miles on Wednesday. I was keeping a friend company that was doing a ruck run, meaning, he had 60lbs in a pack on his back. I pretty much looked like a slacker next to him as I waved and said hi to the others along the rec trail.

Then the wheels fell off! I woke up Thursday with a terrible ear ache and a sore throat, which kept me in bed instead of a run at o’dark 30. Sometimes, I listen to my body and this was most definitely one of those times. After Googling everything about ear pain, trying to use hydrogen peroxide and a warm compress I was up and off to work. Needless to say, I didn’t last long and wound up in Urgent Care for some relief. In and out, I was on my way to the pharmacy, cursing my luck….how do I get an upper respiratory infection 9 days out from my next race! My mission was to rest, take my medication – who doesn’t love huge pink pills to choke down twice a day, and focus on getting better. Which I did! I didn’t push myself and stayed in the house for 2.5 days, that’s no easy feet for me! I was also very lucky to have dinner and supplies dropped off, so there was no reason for me to think about having to go anywhere.

Saturday came around and I thought if I could work up a sweat, maybe the last of this bug would find it’s way out of me.The girls were running out at Ft. Ord and I passed on that adventure. I missed seeing their faces at the crack of dawn, but didn’t think it was a smart idea. Instead, I headed off to the gym for 45 minutes of rolling hills on the elliptical and felt good, so I also went to a barre class. After having the meds on board, I knew no one would get sick from me. It felt really good to move and not feel so much like a bump on a log.

Sunday was my scheduled long run and took myself out to Ft. Ord to do it after catching up with a friend over coffee and barre classes. It was a hot, windy run…I’m not sure how I found myself in a wind tunnel but I did. It was a tough one, I won’t lie and was very thankful for the 70 ounces of Skratch Lemon Lime that I went through out there. Between being there in the middle of the afternoon, which is the hottest part of the day and still not quite 100%, I was just happy to get the miles in.

Ft. Ord trails, aka, the Windtunnel!

Monday I took a Ropes class and spin,  food prepped and created a new recipe! Have you taken a ropes class? This was only the second time for me, and I really enjoyed it. The classes normally conflict with work or long runs, so I was really happy to see one on the schedule for the holiday.  Ropes is a great HIIT workout and really had me working hard!

Susan is one of my favorite teachers at the Sports Center. When I saw she was teaching Ropes on the holiday, I had to go!

I’ve been wanting to change my breakfast routine because I’m getting really bored with the same ol’ thing, day in and day out. After browsing recipes on Pinterest, I looked to see what I had in the pantry that would lend it self to a protein breakfast bar of sorts. I came up with a peanut butter version, the recipe is at the end of the post if anyone wants to try it! I think it would be really tasty with a bit of jam too, raspberry or blackberry sound so good!

I had to taste my creation!

This week is low mileage and prepping for the last race of my training cycle on Sunday. I was up and out of the house today at o’dark 30 for speed work, it was good even with the humidity! After I was done and looked at my Polar data, I think I could have pushed the speed intervals just a bit more, but it felt good and confident and I’m looking forward to the Whistle Punk Half Marathon.  It’s a new place to run and explore! Not to mention, without a time cut off, I’m ready to take some pictures in the middle of the redwoods!

O’dark 30 speed work to get my week started off right!

How did your week go? Did you do anything fun to celebrate the end of summer?

Here is the recipe for the peanut butter protein bars, if you make them, let me know how they turned out. Hashtag #thepinkhatrunner to be sure that I see your picture!

Peanut Butter Protein Breakfast Bars

2 cups Gluten Free Flour (I used Trader Joe’s)

1 cup coconut flour

1 large egg

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

3 tbls honey

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp vanilla

2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups of unsweetened almond milk

2 tbl natural salted peanut butter

2 scoops of Quest Peanut Butter protein powder

Pre heat your oven to 350 degrees and spray an 8×8 pan with non stick spray. While the oven is preheating, combine the wet ingredients together in a medium bowl, set aside. Incorporate the dry ingredients together and then add to the wet. Once everything is well combined, it will be thick, press it into your baking pan and bake for 30 minutes,  or until a toothpick or knife comes out clean. Mine were a nice golden color. Let cool and slice!

These would be great with jam, or maybe even some chocolate chips mixed in for a sweet treat!