Happy Valentines Day, guys!  I wore my red shirt and headband today, and tried to make a heart just for YOU!

I headed out to the greenway at 11:30 to meet Michelle and Kath for our scheduled long run!  The plan was to run 9 miles together – 4.5 out and back, and to run slow since we were all feeling a little under the weather. 

But as soon as we got started, we knew it was going to be a challenge.  The trail was a SWAMP!  The worst I’ve seen it – either ice and snow on the bridges, or swampy lakes of deep mud.  We ran about 0.75 miles before we decided to turn around and find another route. 

Good thing these girls know Charlotte so well!  We ran aaaaaall around, in and out of neighborhoods, up main roads, back through other neighborhoods, and before I knew it we had run over 7 miles!  As much as I love the trail, this run felt so much easier to me because I wasn’t paying any attention to mile markers.  We ended up back in the parking lot of the greenway having run 9.52 miles!

My legs and body still felt great, although a little sore.  My lungs held up pretty well.  I think the slower pace helped a lot.  When I got home, I leashed up my other valentines for the remainder of my 14-mile run. 

Casey and the pups and I set out towards another greenway – the one by our house, which wasn’t as bad as the other one, but was still pretty muddy.  We jogged another 4.5 miles, and my Garmin read 13.96 when I got home – perfect!  Major toweling off and mud removal was needed when we got home.

My running shoes will be living outside for a while.

It’s possible that part of today’s long run success was because I had one of Casey’s famous sports drinks.  Much tastier and less expensive than buying Gatorade – here is the recipe…

Homemade Sports Drink!

Ingredients:  (recipe is measured for ONE QUART of sports drink!)

• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• water

To Prepare:  Put salt and sugar into 1 cup water and stir.  Microwave mixture for one minute – stir again to dissolve completely.  Add mixture to bottle with orange juice and lemon juice and fill with a handful of ice.  Swirl to cool the hot water down, and then fill to the top with cold water.  (Note: most Gatorade bottles are one quart, so they are perfect to refill with this!)

As you can see, I had guzzled most of this by the time I thought to take a picture!

Sports drinks are key during long runs, and oatmeal is key after long runs. 

Almonds for crunch, apricot preserves for sweetness, and PB2 because I love it…

I added 2 bananas to the steel cut oats before I started the rice cooker (for 2 servings), and they were perfectly mushy and sweet in the finished product.

Alright, time to FINISH this project once and for all, so I can enjoy the rest of my day.  I am starting to get soooooooooore – better go find some Advil.  I hope you all enjoy the rest of your Valentine’s Day!