Honestly, I have no clever title for this entry. It also won't be filled with much running but I can ensure you, however, that it will have fun visuals as we make up for lost time.
Hello, hey,
Broccoli 
(Ronnie James) Dio
Anywho, shall we talk running? I ran three times. One of them was the morning before leaving for the airport to fly to Detroit. Pretty lackluster, eh? It felt good to take some days off but I also hate not being physically active. Let's take a look at the numbers:
3/20 
3/26 
3/27
One advantage I found about being in Michigan besides the obvious family visit? Running was so easy. With no consistent elevation change and being more than 1,000ft down from where we are now, it was a breeze. I haven't hit a 9:12/mi pace since moving here. I set out for an easy run early on the 20th. The moon was so full and bright and the clouds created what looked like a painting in the sky.
My other two runs were at the park where I basically started my journey of becoming a runner. Spencer Lake in Rochester Hills is a one-mile loop. I remember the days when Nike+ had just been released and we had to wear sensor pods in our shoes. I could barely make it less than halfway around without having to stop and walk all while having my heart rate through the roof. That lake was my go-to for cardio when I mostly ran just to lose weight and keep up my fitness on days I wasn't lifting. It's crazy to see how far I've come through the years. Back then I would have never thought I'd run a marathon one day or even a half marathon let alone run for fun and not just for health.
The day we flew back was rather long as we had a layover at LAX. Let me tell you, out of all of the airports I've been to, this one is the worst. I thought I hated Atlanta but dear Lord, LAX has taken the cake for being terrible. It's like a cave in there mixed with the most disorganized gates I've ever seen. We made light of it and I was able to get my Starbucks mug to add to the rest. I collect the "been there" mugs they produce. We also discovered that Shake Shack has a portobello mushroom burger (no meat!) and it's damn delicious. I like to think it's even better than their meat burgers and even those were good. If you are meatless like me, it's worth a try. Now if only In
After adjusting back to the normal at home, it was time to celebrate my birthday. Honestly, it didn't feel like it was already here because of the weather. Every year in Michigan, it was either snowing or raining and grey as can be. It was 85° and the sun was out in full force. The Friday before, we went to dinner with our friends to Obon, a Ramen and Sushi restaurant in Scottsdale. I had watched a documentary on the plane called 'Ramen Heads' and naturally, I wanted to eat some right away. We both got the veggie red miso bowls and tried jackfruit for the first time. Hello, tastebuds! That stuff is amazing. They had a delicious black tea old fashioned and we even saw a waitress catch her hair on fire from a candle on a table she was cleaning up. Hats off to her for not even dropping a full tray and batting it out with her hand. Bravo! On my actual birthday, we headed to Tonto Natural Bridge State Park that morning with a friend of ours. I think it's the first state park I've ever been to. While we couldn't make it down to the bridge due to trail closures and high water, it was still a really beautiful place. The greenery and waterfalls provided the smell of nature and you could feel the mist from the water as we walked down a lookout point.
Okay, you've finally reached the end of my recap of random stuff.
The picture doesn't do any justice because I'm not a professional food blogger or photographer. The lighting in my kitchen was not on my side. I promise you, it's good. Simple ingredients, easy prep, and enough portions for the whole family or for a few days if it's only two of you like in our house. I'm all for meals that make multiple portions. I would throw in some extra rosemary than what the recipe calls for but I'm thinking this is going to taste even better left over as everything has been able to set together for 24 hours. I paired it with a Beyond Meat burger, of course. A good burger and some mac
Now that we're back on scheduled runs and workouts, next week we'll cover more about how the pavement and trails treated me. Thanks for stopping by!
I am dying at the waitress catching her hair on fire! LOL & also I’m so trying that Mac n cheese recipe. That’s one of my favorite foods! Well any sort of pasta dish really... bummed I miss ya while you were here!
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