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I have no shame in telling you that I am an out of control fruit addict. Seriously, I can’t get enough. And while there are far worse things to be addicted to, I still have to watch how much fruit I gobble down daily – fruit has many benefits, but it can also add up quickly in sugars and calories.

That said, it is the most wonderful time of the year for us fruit lovers. All of the favorites are juicy and ripe and in season, so I thought I would talk about a few of them, along with good uses for each. First up – blueberries!

Ahhhh blueberries, I seriously guzzle them by the handful. Recently at Kroger they have been as cheap as ONE DOLLAR for an entire pint, so I’ve been buying like five at a time. This week they were from Michigan, and they are giant and juicy! As soon as we get to North Carolina, I’m hoping to find a local u-pick place so I can stock up and freeze them before they are gone.

A few recommended methods of blueberry consumption…

1. Oatmeal – you saw this coming, didn’t you? Everything goes better with oatmeal! Recently I’ve started eating slow-cooked steel-cut oats (more on that in another post). I used to always add frozen blueberries to my oatmeal, but the fresh ones are much better! Once you stir them into the hot oats, they get warm and gooey and explode, leaving a fabulous fruity purple path all over your bowl. How can you not have a good day if it starts with a purple breakfast?

2. Greek Yogurt – if you’re not a greek fan, regular old yogurt will suffice. (But if you haven’t tried greek I would hiiiiiggghlly recommend it.) Personally, I like mine plopped on top rather than mixed in, but either way is good. I round out the bowl with some high-fiber cereal for a good balance of protein, fiber, and carbs – YUM!

3. Jell-O – make mine sugar-free! Despite all my healthy living and dietary changes, I still struggle with the temptation of the evil late-night-snack. Rather than go insane avoiding the kitchen, I typically give in to a bowl of SF Jell-O, topped with blueberries. One good thing about blueberries is that they really go well with any flavor – lemon, strawberry, raspberry, maybe not lime (I hate lime)…

4. Smoothies - if you’re pressed for time, a smoothie is a great snack (or even meal) that can be taken on the run. They are also a nice way to cool down during these hot summer months. Blueberries are great in smoothies mixed with other fruits (strawberries, raspberries, etc.) or my personal favorite – mixed with cocoa powder (or chocolate protein powder)! Sometimes I’ll make a big blueberry-chocolate smoothie (blueberries, cocoa powder, almond milk, and ice) and I will sip it slowly and pretend it is a milkshake. Wild and crazy, I know.

The great thing about blueberries is that they are super high in antioxidants, potassium, and a slew of vitamins, while staying pretty low on the calorie spectrum. An entire cup of fresh blueberries runs about 80 calories – or you can eat the entire pint for 160 (it’s been done…). Make sure you check the mirror when you’re done though – blueberry teeth is not one of this berry’s best contributions!

Those are just a few of my favorite blueberry delights. What am I forgetting? Do you have any delicious blueberry eats for me to try?

Remember when I used to have a running blog?

It has been a loooong time since I wrote about running. You guys probably think I’ve totally fallen off the map, or worse – off the wagon. Rest assured, I’m still out there pounding the pavement. Training for San Francisco officially started in June. After the Pig (and all the wedding and honeymoon festivities), I continued to run casually several times a week, in order to keep my fitness, and not have the dreaded task of starting over with my mileage.

(Side note: I keep reading about other bloggers who are running the half-marathon in San Fran. Is anyone else out there running the full with me??)

For my previous three marathons, I’ve used Hal Higdon’s Novice 1 and 2 schedules. I figured it’s time for me to step it up, so this time I’m doing the Intermediate 1 level. The only main difference is that the mileage starts out a little higher (first long run was 8 miles), and unfortunately that allows for two 20-milers towards the peak of training.

So far the running itself hasn’t been too bad, but my insane summer schedule has made the weekend long runs very challenging to accommodate. Right now I’m in week seven of the schedule, and here’s where my first five weekends of “official” training have been spent…

Week 1: Charlotte round one (no running – boooo!)
Week 2: Hilton Head (ran and walked 10M each day)
Week 3: Washington, DC (walked over 30M that weekend)
Week 4: Indianapolis (ran 7 miles in torrential rain)
Week 5: Charlotte round two (no running again boooo!)

Not to complain, I’ve had some great trips and vacations, and obviously the two Charlotte trips were more than necessary, but it’s definitely taken a toll on my ability to fit in the long runs (which are the most important runs of all!). And while I was able to get in some good workouts and walks, I didn’t necessarily do my scheduled runs, which is frustrating. So this past weekend was week six, and we were finally in town for the first time in months.

I woke up early Saturday morning ready to roll. Ate half a PB&J, grabbed my ipod and headed out. I was all pumped that the weather was so nice and cool, and though this was perfect for my scheduled 9 miles. I realized about two minutes later than the nice “breezy” weather, was actually an insane storm headed right in my direction. Before I knew it, the sky had opened up, and there was torrential rain pouring down on me. It was like being in Florida – it came on fast and with no warning! I briefly considered turning around and running home, but I was so wet already, it was pointless – might as well keep running! It was the kind of rain that came down so hard it made it hard to keep my eyes open. Not to mention the terrifying lightening flashes and booming thunder. Scary stuff.

My run was cut short due to bad timing (my fault – I left too late), since I had to be back by 10:30 to drive Lindsey to the airport, and I was only able to squeeze in six miles (but was scheduled for nine). I was happy to have run the six, but disappointed that yet again, my long run fell short. Rather than hate myself for it all week long, I decided that I would just count that as an extra training run and try again tomorrow.

Sunday morning I woke up ready to go again. Downed another P&J and I was off! My legs felt tired, feeling the effects of Saturday’s six miles underneath them, but I made myself keep going, knowing that if I could just get warmed up I would feel better. It was much hotter on Sunday morning, and I knew it was going to be a tough run, especially since I hadn’t run more than 7 or so miles at a time since May. I made a decision to stop watching my Garmin, and just run what felt comfortable – to focus on my mind, and not my pace.

I ran and ran, not looking at my watch, and thinking about moving, school, packing, work – just letting my mind drift as my legs kept mindlessly moving. The miles passed by quickly since I wasn’t focusing on them. I picked a few hard long loops that I knew would add up, and I was thrilled to check my watch when I finally got back home – ten miles! It wasn’t my fastest run ever, but it was peaceful, and I felt great. My legs, however, definitely felt like they ran 16 miles this weekend – ouch! On top of that, Casey and I took the dogs for several long walks, bringing my weekend mileage total up to around 25 – not bad.

It feels great to be back on track! San Francisco still feels very far away right now, but it’s nice to finally be settling into a consistent training plan, and knocking my runs off one by one. The next few weeks ahead will be difficult again – lots of traveling, moving, school starting – but I am more determined than ever to get the runs in. I promise to start writing about my running more now that it’s in full swing. It might help me stay more accountable while I’m at it, and I know a lot of other people are training for fall marathons now too.

As usual, I’m already thinking about what comes next when San Francisco is over. The Charlotte Marathon is in December, but it looks pretty hilly – we’ll see. Anyone want to run it with me?

So far I have two races on my calendar for 2010 – first up, 13.1 with Donna in Jacksonville, Florida, along side Mary Ann as she runs her first half-marathon! And of course, I’ll be heading back to Cincinnati in May for my third go-round with the Pig. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, right?

Hal’s got me scheduled for 14 miles this Saturday, and 6 more on Sunday. I’m headed back to Charlotte this weekend (ugh) for my Johnson & Wales Orientation Session (I’m such a college kid!). But I am determined to get my runs in no matter what…

Who else is training for a fall marathon this year? Does anyone else struggle to train through the hot and BUSY summers like I do? All together now…