Tomorrow I will be participating in my 22nd half-marathon, and I will be running the Carlsbad course for the third year in a row. I ran my first and only full-marathon here two years ago, so this race holds a special place in my heart. The scenery is amazing running along the Pacific Coast, and I always come across a ton of my friends that I have met over the years, which is always great for someone as social as I am.
But this race will be special for a different reason this year. Kay's husband Jim was supposed to run this race, but instead Kay, Gabby, and I will be running to honor Jim's fight with throat cancer. He is not strong enough this year to run it himself, so we will run in his place until he is strong enough to run it himself next year. The girls will be conquering Carlsbad tomorrow just as Jim will be conquering his cancer in 2015!
As I reflect on my races, I am so proud of all that I have accomplished. I went from an over-weight, unhappy, couch potato to an exercise loving, race-addicted, blog-writing, fitness lover. I have my ups and downs, but overall I have enjoyed every minute of this crazy journey. Thank you all for coming along with me over the years! I appreciate all the support and look forward to sharing all my ultra marathon adventures with you over the next six months--it should be an interesting experience!
This week's box brought various greens (chard, mustard, kale, and beet), some beets, a butternut squash, a bunch of carrots, and various fruits. This week I tried roasting a variety of vegetables to go with one of our weekday dinners. I cut some beets, carrots, and butternut squash to a similar thickness to ensure the cook time would be consistent, sprayed them with some olive oil spray so they were not drenched in fat, and then lightly seasoned them with a little salt and pepper. The roasted vegetables were a delicious addition to our meal.
I also made some of my go-to favorites this week--pickled beets, applesauce, and the curried butternut squash soup I shared in my December 21st blog. Tonight we are feasting on chard and beet greens--amazing how just a couple slices of bacon can make vegetables taste so yummy! The box is definitely making eating our fruits and vegetables a lot more interesting!