Hey friends! What a fun weekend – as you know, on Saturday morning I ran the Rock ‘n’ Roll DC Half Marathon for the 5th time! We had perfect running weather – cloudy and cool – and my legs felt fresh and speedy. You already know how I did via Instagram, but I’ll share a full recap of the race tomorrow! :)
But first – my non-race weekend adventures! On Friday night, Matt and I stayed in and made a Blue Apron – when we got last week’s delivery I thought this particular recipe would be perfect for the night before the race, so we saved it for Friday: Adobo Style Chicken with Roasted Bok Choy and Jasmine Rice.
Why was this perfect for pre-race? Because it had a good mix of protein (chicken) and carbs (rice), but wasn’t super high in fiber (aka white rice vs. brown, and not mass quantities of veggies) or fat, which can be harder/slower to digest. It also wasn’t spicy and didn’t include any unusual ingredients – it’s never a good idea to try anything super new the night before a race. :) Hit the spot!
Speaking of running nutrition – my Nutrition for Runners co-author Jason of Strength Running is hosting a “nutrition week” on his blog this week, featuring some of the content from our program (for free!) and sharing some case studies of those who have tried our program. I’ll be sharing the posts all week, but here is the first one: Why is Weight Loss and Nutritious Fueling So Hard For Runners? Sign up for our Nutrition for Runners email list for more free tips and info!
Anyway! On Saturday afternoon after the race, I actually ended up going for a light hike with Matt and some friends! The weather was nice and I didn’t want to miss out on the fun, so even though my legs were obviously tired I decided to go anyway. They promised me a low key and mostly flat hike, which helped. :)
We all met up at our place then drove over to the Virginia side of Great Falls Park. Unfortunately the entire world had the same idea so we had to wait awhile to get in, but it was worth the wait. :)
After our hike, we headed back to Arlington for burgers! The others had been talking up Citizen Burger Bar in Clarendon for awhile now so I was curious to try it. Plus, post-race a burger and fries is just about the best thing ever.
The verdict? Delicious! I loved their focus on local, organic, and sustainable food, and their menu had a ton of interesting options (including a really good sounding vegan beet burger)! I decided to make my own burger – I got the vegan bun (the waitress said it was yummy – they also have normal buns and gluten free buns) with the grass fed beef burger, mushrooms, bacon, pickles, and bbq sauce, ketchup, and mustard. :) Plus sweet potato fries! It was soooo good. We were home by 8:30 and I basically showered and fell into bed immediately.
Sunday was super low key – I was (and still am) INSANELY sore from the race! First order of business was breakfast part 1: avocado toast! Topped with some chia seeds, salt, and pepper, and with a side of orange slices!
Matt and I made coffee and took it in mugs on a nice and slow short walk around our neighborhood. :)
A little while later, I had breakfast part 2: my new favorite fried runny eggs + arugula + sauerkraut.
The rest of the day was spent doing stuff around the house! We have a fun guest coming to stay with us tonight so I wanted to make sure the house was tidy. I also did 5 (!!) loads of laundry – insane – and whipped up a batch of my old favorite Oatmeal Raisin Energy Bites (<—recipe) for us to enjoy this week.
Yum, I LOVE these – need to make them more often! I left out the ground flaxseed because we were out but otherwise followed the usual recipe. Don’t worry – I sampled a couple to make sure they tasted good before putting them in the fridge. ;)
I always love having snack balls on hand for the week – they make such a great portable snack. Here are some other “ball” recipe faves here on the blog:
- Tart Cherry Pie Snack Balls (vegan, gluten free)
- Chocolate Coconut Almond Balls
- Cinnamon Raisin Almond Balls (vegan)
- Salty Maple Nut Energy Bites (vegan, gluten free) – these also make amazing running or biking fuel for my endurance athlete readers!
As for dinner last night, we had another Blue Apron – a pork ramen. This was really good – very creative! We added a ton of baby spinach in it, too, to get some greens in – and we have a fair amount of leftovers that I can enjoy for lunch today with a side salad. :)
Have a great day, my friends! I got up and headed over to the pool this morning for a nice swim – swimming always feels amazing when I’m super sore. I basically hardly kick my legs and let my arms do the work. :) I hadn’t swam in AGES – when I was training for the Richmond Marathon and LA Marathon I went about once a week because it felt so good after my super long runs, but then I totally got out of the habit! I miss it. It was really crowded this morning (the photo below is an old one) but luckily I only had to wait a few minutes before I was able to take someone’s spot sharing a lane with one other person.
Time to work on my race recap and catch up on emails and AnneTheRD client work!
How was your weekend? Any great runs or adventures to report? Who else ran Rock n Roll DC or another race? How did it go?
I ran in a Color Me Green St. Patrick’s Day race at the Whitewater Center in Charlotte on Sat. It was a blast! Yesterday I made your Thai Chicken soup recipe and it was delicious! Definitely a “make again” recipe.
Yay! So glad you had a great race — and that you enjoyed the Thai chicken soup recipe! :)
I am dying to get to the “hilly” part of great falls! I will have to message you soon to see if you are planning to go sometime :)
I made your thai coconut soup yesterday! i’m eating leftovers for lunch today! It taste amazing. I’m thinking next time, add some rice noodles?!?
Congrats on your rock n roll half- I was scheduled to run it in 2014 but I sprained my ankle at the race expo (falling down the stair in wedge heels) picking up my bib and never made it to the start line. I want to redeem myself one day and run it.
Yay, so glad you’re enjoying the soup! Rice noodles would be an awesome addition. :) And thank you! Spraining an ankle at the expo is such bad luck… I hope you get to run it soon!
I totally have the half marathon bug! My training is NO where close, but your post is so motivating!!
Racing is so addictive! :)
I ran the rock’n’roll half marathon in DC as well! What a wonderful race: perfect weather, plus I loved running through neighborhoods I am not familiar with (read: Columbia Heights) and the crowd support was awesome! I am still a little bit sore and got a bad cold afterwards so I am relaxing today. God bless spring breaks.
Enjoy the recovery — glad you had a great race, too! :)
Congrats on the race! I ran it, too, and was so happy with the weather. It could not have been more perfect for racing; I was afraid the sun might pop out, which would have made it a little too warm for racing comfort. Also, didn’t you love the medals for this race? Gorgeous!
Most perfect racing weather ever! And I agree – LOVED the medals this year!!
That burger place sounds amazing–Ted’s Bulletin always has good burgers, but I need to check out some other places too! I ran the Rock n Roll DC half last year, but this year (this Sunday, actually) I’m running the Rock n Roll Dallas half! Should be lots of fun, and hopefully the weather cooperates!
Yay! Good luck and have fun!!
Well done!!!! And some delicious eats from the weekend!
Where is this poool?! Can we have a swim date next time I’m there? :)
Sure! It’s right by the track — at Washington & Lee high school! :)
I was at Great Falls this weekend, too! My boyfriend and I came around 11am, and the line to get in was about 20 cars deep. We turned around and parked farther down, at Scott Run’s Nature Preserve. I’m glad we were able to find a spot – it was a great day!
Ah, good tip — we’ll try that next time!
No races this weekend because I had Jazzercise workshop. Workshop was good but there are a couple St. Patrick’s races around here that I really want to do-next year for sure!
We got Blue Apron last week too, so it’s funny to see you write about the same meals we made :)
Hope you enjoyed the meals, too! :)
Congrats on your successful run! That burger is calling to me :)
Congrats on a great race – and on a very nice weekend. Looking forward to the race recap!
I did Rock ‘n’ Roll too and especially loved the weather after last year! Congrats on such an awesome finish time! It was the perfect day as we finished it off by heading to the Verizon Center to watch the Heels win the ACC Championship :) I swam Sunday morning and today too!
Go Heels!! Glad you had a great race, too – the weather was SO perfect!