Run Ride Eat and Sweet Salty Peanut Butter Cookies

The first year I ran a marathon, I couldn’t wait to take time off from running.  After just completing my 7th marathon, I can’t seem to stop running.  It has taken hold of me.  I wish I could say I had this passion for running that surpassed all else.  I don’t.  My relationship with running is pure fitness motivated with obsession sprinkled in.  It’s love-hate.  I absolutely love how I feel after completing a long run.  I absolutely hate how I feel when I get out of bed and have to motivate myself to lace up.  But I do it and so my running obsession goes on. 

Last Monday, I ran the Boston Marathon.

Not my best marathon time but my best time for this 3rd run at Boston.  Today I ran a 9 1/4 mile run with the best of the best: Shane, Zoey, Ted.  It wasn’t fast. My body doesn’t want fast right now. Some weird come-say, go-say ache in the arch of my right foot poses concern especially since I’m going to test the waters in speed work on Tuesday then the Diva Half Marathon in Myrtle Beach next Sunday.  Fingers crossed it’s manageable pain from Diva Half to Flying Pig Full Marathon on May 5th. 

Since the house in a state of mess and we don’t have a kitchen, the 30 degree temperatures were ignored as we focused on the sunshine, hopped on our bikes and pedaled to breakfast at Creekside, Washington Mills.

Frosty fingers and toes warmed by coffee

I’m a complete coffee addict BUT… I cannot and will not drink coffee before a run. It makes me feel sick. If you knew how much coffee I drank, you’d think this was very, VERY odd.

Breakfast to warm the bones.  A veggie giambrotte (made with Eggbeaters) with hot sauce and dry rye on the side.

This was one huge omelet and I ate the whole thing. 

We got back on our bikes, it was a tad warmer, rode home to play with our two best running buddies.

Zoey, content with chewing a stick, Shane, very focused on the ball he wants us to toss. Both of them black and shiny since they had a bath yesterday. Clean and fresh dogs. The best!

A good day for endurance.  A not so good day for a sore foot.  A day of rest tomorrow.

COOKIES anyone?

This recipe looked very intriguing from Modern Baking magazine.  I had to scale it down, convert ingredients to standard cookie quantities since Modern Baking is geared towards the retail or high yield bakery.

Makes 3 dozen Cookies

• 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup chunky style peanut butter
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups flour *I used Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free All Purpose Flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 bag Reese’s Peanut Butter Chips
• 1 cup mini pretzel twists, broken

Preheat oven to 350 F.  Line baking sheets with parchment or spray with non stick.

Beat the butter, sugar, peanut butter until creamed. Add the egg and vanilla. Slowly add the flour and baking soda until mixed.  Stir in the peanut butter chips then pretzel twists.

Drop by tablespoon size onto cookie sheet.  It’s best to slightly firm into a ball with clean hands for a tighter cookie. These are somewhat tender.

Bake for 12 – 14 minutes. Allow to cool.

They taste as good as they look.