The Sunrise Run Club

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I’m a lucky lady. 

I live in a runner-friendly city with lots of paved and unpaved trails at my disposal. I have lots of awesome friends who share their love of running and life with me. 

I’ve had the opportunity to introduce people to running and to mentor them through a 5K training program, and that has changed my life. 

Case in point: my friend Sarah is not a morning person. Much like me. 

But she loves to run. I was her mentor for a time, and she has decided to run a marathon this fall. 

This insane heat has lead her to join the crazy train of running before the sun comes up. Since I was running at dawn this morning, I sent Sarah a text to encourage her to wake up and greet the sun. 

  
She lives in Northwest Arkansas now so she couldn’t actually run with us, but she was there in spirit. 

And what a beautiful morning it was.

  
If only my run could have been less terrible. I couldn’t get my mind right. I felt physically tired, and my legs felt slow and lead-like. The sweat was aggressive due to the crazy humidity. 

Thankfully, I had to Denise right next to me, encouraging me. I had Sarah in spirit. And I knew that I could run three miles and not die because I’d finished longer runs in much worse conditions. 

The mind is so powerful. It amazes me. How one negative thought, just a blip at first, can ruin your mental game. 

Somehow, despite my mental funk, Denise and I managed a quicker pace than Monday.  

 
It just tells me that my body can do amazing things, whether my mind is with it or not. And that’s enlightening.

Plus, I found out other people are getting up early to chase the sun, too. I’m calling it the Sunrise Run Club. 

Because Salads Don’t Have to Be Boring

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Lettuce is an underrated vegetable. It’s a vessel for so much delicious goodness. Yet people are like “salad….yuck.” It’s so sad. 

So let me change your mind about lettuce. 

  
Introducing the Taco Salad of your dreams. 

This baby sings its own sweet tune. 

What you need:

  • 1/2 lb. lean ground beef
  • Romaine lettuce
  • Orange bell pepper
  • Cherry tomatoes
  • One ear of sweet corn
  • Avocado
  • Shredded white cheddar cheese
  • Taco No. 4 taco seasoning
  • Your favorite salsa
  • Kerrygold butter
  • Smidge of water

First thing, brown the ground beef.  While that’s happening, cut the corn off the cob and put it in a hot pan with Kerrygold butter, salt and pepper. 
Prep your salad items. Chop up the lettuce, tomatoes, avocado and bell pepper. 

When the ground beef is cooked, stir in half a packets of Taco No. 4, a heaping spoonful of salsa and 1/4 – 1/2 cup water. This taco seasoning is my absolute favorite.  So try to find it. Simmer until the water thickens to create a nice sauce. 

Plate it up. 

  
Lettuce, bell pepper, taco meat, sweet corn, cheese, tomatoes, avocado and a extra dollop of salsa for good measure. 

You won’t miss the tortilla or the crunchy shell because you’ll be too busy stuffing your face and wondering why you didn’t add corn to your tacos before now. 

The only thing I lacked was an ice cold margarita.   

Running at Dawn

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I use to work at a local running store, and I didn’t have to be at work most days until 9:45 a.m. But the thought of getting up around 7 a.m. to go for a run never crossed my mind.

See, I’m not a morning person. Although, I’m more morning than some other people. 

I’ll wake up early for two things: race day and the beach.

But I’ve recently started a new job, which allows me to run after work. It’s just been so scorching hot that I flat won’t go. 

I’ll make excuse after excuse. It’s too hot. I’m too tired. Work was stressful. Tomorrow. But we all know how that goes. The pattern of bad behavior wins again. 

I have this awesome running friend, who when I have crazy ideas or requests she just says yes. 

So we’ve started running at dawn a couple times a week. And let me tell you. I feel liberated. 

  
I’ve seen many a sunset in my day because running at dusk use to be my thing. But the older I get I find it hard to go to sleep after exercising late in the day. 

  
But this morning’s sunrise was absolutely perfect. 

And it felt so good to get in a 3 mile run before 6:15 a.m. 

  
Here are my stats for this morning’s run. Started out slow, but the pace got progressively faster. The humidity was killer, and the fact that it was 80 degrees at 5:30 a.m. was disheartening. 

But I survived.

Portobello Brunch

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Brunch could be my favorite meal. It’s all the breakfast treats, but both sweet and savory. 

And brunch is usually paired with a lazy Saturday or Sunday morning. 

I’ve always preferred Sunday brunch. It’s a Hail Mary to slow down the last day of the weekend, and a good excuse to be lazy until noon. 

  
If you’re not a fan of mushrooms, then this brunch delight is not for you. If you’re like me and you love mushrooms, then go ahead and start making plans for brunch next weekend. 

Bacon and Eggs Portobellos

  • 2 Portobello mushrooms
  • 3-4 slices of bacon
  • 2 eggs
  • Olive oil for drizzling
  • Shredded white cheddar cheese
  • Salt and pepper
  • Fresh basil

First thing, fry up the bacon. While that’s happening, preheat the oven to 375 degrees. 

Prep the mushrooms by wiping them down with a damp cloth, removing the nubby stem and scrapping out the mushroom gills. This give you more room to stuff the mushroom with delicious goodness. 

Lightly brush the mushrooms with olive oil, salt and pepper. By now the bacon should be cooked. So crumble some of the bacon and put it on the mushroom cap. 

Then crack the egg on top of that. Add a little salt and a little pepper. Bake for 15 minutes. 

After 15 minutes, top the egg-filled mushrooms with shredded white cheddar cheese. Bake 5 more minutes. 

Remove from oven. If mushrooms have some liquid in it, drain it off. Top them with fresh basil and enjoy. 

  
This makes two stuffed mushrooms, which can feed two people or one really hungry person. 

I found for my usual Party of 1 that one mushroom would be enough since the portobello is a meaty mushroom. 

So when you’re not feeling the sweet road to brunch, this is the perfect savory choice. It’s not much work, you can make as many mushrooms as you need, and then the oven does all the work for you. 

And on lazy Sundays, that’s important. 

Strawberry Ice Cream Protein Smoothie

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It’s hot outside.

Like real hot.

So hot that it’s all you can think about hot. 

And when it gets that hot, I crave something cool. 

And the first thing that comes to mind is ice cream. 

But ice cream isn’t the healthiest option. So I improvised. And didn’t use ice cream at all. 

  
What you need:

  • Frozen whole strawberries 
  • Frozen mango pieces
  • A banana
  • Vanilla protein powder
  • Unsweetened almond milk

Put a handful of mango and a handful of strawberries into the blender. Cut the banana into four pieces, and toss in a packet of your favorite vanilla protein powder. 

I used SFH Pure from Whole Foods, which is the only brand of protein powder I like. And I’ve tried a lot of brands. 

Then pour some almond milk on top of everything and start the blender. Don’t use too much almond milk at first so you can add more to get the proper consistency of ice cream. 

I didn’t measure anything. I just eyeballed it, and it made enough for two people. 

It’s the perfect summertime healthy treat.