Look what I found in the back of the cabinet last night:

An unopened bag of pistachios! Oh happy day. I opened them and ate a few before even taking a picture. I hate all nuts except pistachios. I really have tried to like other types of nuts, though. I’ve tried peanuts, pecans, almonds, cashews, walnuts…. I just don’t like them. But I LOVE pistachios.

Don’t you love it when you find a favorite snack hiding in the back of the cabinet? Of course I had already brushed my teeth when I discovered them last night. That meant I had to brush them again after eating some pistachios, but it was totally worth it.

Did you know pistachios are full of protein? They also can help lower your cholesterol and are full of seven essential nutrients. They also make a great low calorie snack and will help you feel full because they are high in fiber. Now you know why the brand name is “Wonderful.” They’re so heart healthy, they even got to do a photo shoot with the Cheerio’s bowl.

Tomorrow night I’m running a night race! It’s called the Downtown Sundown 5K, and it’s part of a local Summer Solstice Fest. The race starts at 8:30 PM and all runners are required to wear bright clothing. They also hand out glow sticks for everyone to run with. I ran this race back in 2008 (I think) and had a blast. Yes, I’m scared of the dark, but not as much when I’m with a group of people. More motivation to not get left alone on the trail!

Who else loves pistachios?

Has anyone else ever run a night race? What do you think of them compared to the usual morning race?

Anyone else watching the Track & Field Championships this weekend??

I mentioned yesterday that one thing I love about summertime is being able to run as late as 8:30 in the evening because there is still daylight. It’s also good that it’s light later, as this allows it to cool off a bit before I hit the road. However, running later in the evening often throws a wrench into my normal dinner routine.

In the winter it’s easy. As soon as I get home from work I change and head out for my run, so that I can finish before the sun goes down. Then dinner follows shortly after. It’s a no brainer. In the summer I’m often left trying to figure out whether to eat before my run or after it, since I’m running later in the evening. Barry and I don’t always run on the same days, which further complicates matters.

If I eat after work and before my run, I’m left running on a full stomach (even if I eat light) and you can forget about speedwork. If I eat after my run, I’m often eating after 9 PM which is close to my bedtime. I’ve read that eating close to bedtime can negatively impact your sleep and can cause slower digestion which allows your body to absorb more calories. That’s not scientific fact, as far as I know, it’s just stuff that I’ve read in the past.

Have to get your beauty sleep

For me, eating a late dinner on a day Barry isn’t running also means that he is left waiting around to eat and vice versa if he’s running and I’m not. Or we end up eating separately.

There are pros and cons to each option and I find myself flip flopping from one day to the next based on what I feel like that day. Yesterday Barry ate dinner around 6:30 because he needed to go to bed shortly after 7. I didn’t eat until 9:30 because I waited to run until 8 or so. Today I headed out for an easy 4 miles (9:47 average pace… funny how some days that’s an “easy” pace and other days it feels impossible) around 7 and then Barry and I ate dinner together when I got home. I think I prefer dinner after I run as opposed to eating beforehand.
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FYI: Yesterday I realized I had that word recognition feature activated on my blog for people leaving comments. Sorry you were having to fill in those word phrases to post your comment! I deactivated it and immediately received two spam comments within the hour. Therefore I am now invoking comment moderation 🙂 Just wanted to give you a heads up on why that changed! I may end up putting the word activation back up (sorry, I know it can be annoying if the word doesn’t show up clearly) if there are too many spam comments coming in.

What time of day do you typically work out during the week?

What time do you typically eat dinner in the evening?

If you are an evening workouter (that’s a word now) do you eat dinner before or after?

This evening I went for a 3 mile run with miles 1 and 3 under 10 minutes and mile 2 “fast” which ended up being 9:08. Not quite what I was shooting for, but I’ll take it. Even though it gets hotter in the summer, I love that I can run as late as 8:30 in the evening and still have daylight.

This morning I was crossing from a storefront to the parking lot in a cross walk in the pouring rain. Halfway across I had to stop as a car went by without ever slowing or looking at me. Not very courteous… but it got me thinking about runner safety while running on the road. I often run on the roads around our house and I have gleaned some general safety tips for running on the road.

1. Run on the left side facing oncoming traffic. This allows you to see what’s coming at you and gives you a chance to react to a driver who may not be paying attention. The one caveat to this is if you are approaching a blind curve. I have found it’s best to switch sides of the road, if it is safe to do so, since an oncoming driver has no way of seeing you in a blind turn.
2. Never assume a driver sees you. Always have a plan for how you would react if a driver is not paying attention (e.g. by running in the ditch). It is a good idea to wave to drivers to help them see you. It is also a courteous gesture that may make the driver reciprocate with additional courtesy. Also make sure a driver acknowledges you before crossing in front of a car at an intersection.
3. Do not run with music & stay aware. It is especially important to be aware of your surroundings. You want to be able to hear an approaching car as well as other hazards (a loose dog, a person with bad intent, etc.). If you HAVE to run with music, keep one ear bud out. But in my opinion you really shouldn’t listen to music while running on the road. It is distracting and you want to stay aware and not zone out during your run.  
4. Carry identification. Your driver’s license or another ID (school ID, etc.) is sufficient. An even better option would be to invest in a RoadID. Basic information to have on your ID include your name, an emergency contact number, and your blood type.
5. Bring your phone. You never know when something might go wrong and you need someone to come pick you up. It’s also good to have it in case of emergency or if you want to order some food like I did last week.
6. Ignore verbal harassment. I often find that drivers like to toot their horn or yell things at me. It is best to ignore them and not engage them. I think they are often looking for a reaction. If something happens or if you feel someone has crossed a line, notify the police and get a license plate if you can.  
7. Make sure someone knows where you are going and when you will be back. This is common sense and really doesn’t need much explaining. Let a spouse, family member, or friend know roughly what route you will be running, when you will be heading out for your run, and when you plan to return.
8. Wear bright clothing. Brightly colored shirts and other clothing will help you be more visible along the side of the road.
9. When in doubt, stop and wait. If you are unsure if a driver has given you the right of way, just stop and wait. You can even waive them on. Never try and race a car to an intersection, they’ll win.
10. Follow the rules of the road. When you are running through a town, obey stop lights and crossing signals.

Do you run/bike/walk on roads?

What would you add to my road running safety tips? What did I miss?

Let me start by giving you some background information. Our backyard backs up to a farm and we have a chain link fence around our backyard. Along the backside of our yard our fence runs parallel to the farm’s barbed wire fence. There is about a foot and a half of space between the two.

Hank (our biggest dog) has been trying to figure out how to get the chickens since the day we got them. Once they moved outside to the coop we had to take various steps to keep him out, such as using chain link around the chicken run area and burying chicken wire in the ground around it.

Yesterday Hank and Scout (our Bloodhound puppy) were out in the backyard. When I looked out the window to check on them I realized Hank was out in the field behind our house, beyond the barbed wire fence. I immediately ran outside and found that he had dug under the chain link fence and had gone under or through the barbed wire fence.

I have no idea whether he went out there because there was a cat in the field (there often is) or if it was some new attempt at getting the chickens. I’m guessing the latter. Either way I had to get him back in our yard. He weighs 125 pounds so just picking him up and putting him back in our yard was not a possibility.

He is as tall as me.

I knew I would need to climb over the fence to get him back in our yard. I had on shorts and Crocs, but I was worried that if I went back inside to change Hank would panic and run off (he didn’t have a collar on). So I climbed over the chain link fence and into the space between our fence and the barbed wire fence. Getting Hank back into that space wasn’t difficult. I stepped on the bottom strand and pulled the next one up with my hands and he came through without any problem. But then the two of us were both in that small space. He pressed himself up against the barbed wire and started to panic. This is when I got thrown up against the barbed wire. I was yelling at Hank to calm down and he finally stopped thrashing. I was able to climb back over the chain link and then pull the bottom up for him to crawl under. Hank came away from it with just one scratch, but I was left with this (Warning: mildly graphic picture):

The cut on the upper part of my calf is pretty deep. I also ended up with two other cuts on the outside of my thigh.

Lesson of the day: Don’t mess with barbed wire, it bites back. Or if you do have to mess with it, wear something other than shorts!

What lesson of the day do you have to share?

Share a piece of wisdom with me you have gathered over the years.
If you get deodorant on your clothes, you can rub it off with a balled up sock.