Week 18/52

Cuh-razy weather!  Sunday morning (race day) was 32F when I left the house at 7:30 a.m.  Bright and sunny though, and by halfway through the race I was ready to ditch the gloves.  Didn't really need two layers of shirts though, although it wasn't uncomfortably warm.  New tights were great!  Much warmer than their thickness suggested they would be.

Race results:  I got third place in my division!  Total stats:  3/11 Female 40 - 44; 7/39 Female Masters; 19/110 Females overall.  Time: 33:13 for the 4 mile race.   Not too shabby for my first race in almost 10 years!

I think I've got the next race picked out.  Healthy People, Healthy Planet at the Metroparks. 5K, a little bit road race, a little bit cross-country race, a little bit staircase.  Yup, you read that right.  The course goes right up the 135 step staircase to the top of the bluff behind the Nature Center.  Sounds killer.  Sounds painful.  Sounds like the training is guaranteed to get my booty ready for bathing suit season, no?

Weight: Goal + 0.8 lbs!   Okay, that’s what it was this morning.  I don’t really think it will stay there all week – I’ve been fighting a cold and not eating as much, but wouldn’t it be nice?

Try something new:  Carrot Cake quinoa muffins.   Discovered on Pinterest, recipe can be found here.

Verdict:  I cooked these for the full 22 minutes, but they are still too moist for my liking.  Taste kind of mushy.  Maybe I overcooked my quinoa?  That would add a lot of moisture to the recipe.  Also, too sweet for me.  I would add less sugar next time.  Other issues:  the recipe says it makes 6 muffins, which seemed kind of skimpy, so I doubled the ingredients.  I came up with enough batter for 12 muffins plus a 9” cake pan!  I’m thinking the author may have been using those giant restaurant muffin tins?  I was using the standard size cupcake muffin pan – you know the size you can get 24 cupcakes from one box of cake mix?  Best thing about these muffins: even my small cupcake size muffins are nicely filling; with a glass of juice and one muffin, I’m making it all the way to lunch without getting that starving, low-blood sugar feeling.   Would I make it again?  Maybe.  But I need to tinker with the recipe.

Knitting:  Finally blocked the lace shawl!  Also finished a pair of socks, just need to graft the last toe.  

School is almost over, just one month + one week left to go; kidlet is registered for a couple of summer camps, and I am itching to get into the garden.  With forecasts like we have this week, I’m glad  I didn’t plant anything yet (although the weeds seem to have no problem with late frosts), but soon I’ll start a few rows of lettuce and radishes right outside.  With the addition of the kitten this year, we decided not to sprout any tomato or pepper plants on the kitchen counter.  She seems to like pushing things off counters when she can.  I’ll just but my seedlings at the garden store.