A Week of Eats--August 26

It was a big week around these parts.  Thousands of students returned to classes at UVA, making certain parts of town including my regular grocery store a bit less pleasant.  I had my first official job interview and ran the Charlottesville Women's Four Miler.  <--They are still accepting donations for the UVA Cancer Center Breast Care Program through September 23, 2013.

Summer and the accompanying feeling of relaxed freedom are starting to fade.  Real 'fall' may still be several weeks away on the calendar, but for me Labor Day weekend marks the beginning of the transition.  While I don't expect summer temperatures and humidity to disappear instantly, I can usually count on nicer weather by my birthday towards the end of the month.

Here are a few things I ate this week:

Top R: Started the week out right with a big bowl of oatmeal for breakfast Monday morning.  Topped with cottage cheese, strawberries, a spoon of peanut butter and coconut sprinkles.

Top L: Power breakfast before my interview on Thursday.  My interview was in Blacksburg, about two hours away and my plan was to leave before 10, arrive with plenty of time to grab lunch and review my notes before my 2 PM interview.  Highway closures completely changed that plan, and I sat in traffic for nearly four hours, had a Clif bar for lunch and went straight into the interview 90 minutes late.  Despite these complications, the actual interview was a positive experience and regardless of the outcome, I am glad to have the first one behind me.

Bottom R: Chicken and veggie fajitas. I made these on Wednesday after my final (hilly) training run for the Four Miler on Saturday and ate four of them.

Bottom L: I'm calling this dish "Fiesta Noodles" and it served me well as my dinner the night before the race.  It consisted of leftover fajita filling and roasted corn mixed into a pot of pasta with cottage cheese and melted shredded cheddar.  Served with some spicy "taco stand" pickles and avocado on the side.

The morning of the race, I ate two pieces of whole wheat toast with jam and peanut butter and drank a cup of coffee before I left the house.  I packed a banana to eat while waiting to line up and drank 20 oz of water.  I am writing about all this to remember it for future races--my time this year was significantly faster than last year's--from just over 38 minutes to under 36!  While people I had previously passed still flew past me in the last 1/2 mile (argh! There should be a prize for being consistent!) I am really, really pleased with my time.