‘Twas a lovely day – dry air, warm breezes, and beaming sunshine. Gram and I decided to head back to the Hill to enjoy the afternoon. Big props to her for tackling my digital camera to take this photo…these contraptions no longer have viewfinders….you learn something new everyday!
She stocked up on ravioli at Venda and we enjoyed an al fresco lunch at their cafe.
It was the the perfect afternoon for a light Italian meal.
Crusty Italian bread, the finest olive oil for dipping, and a fresh Insalata Caprese. Divine! You better believe I soaked up every bit of that balsamic reduction with my piece of bread. Let nothing go to waste!
I really enjoyed my afternoon with my gram. We’ve been two peas in a pod since the day I was born. She’s a great listener and a true matriarch for our family. She’s also one of my biggest cheerleaders…at the finish line of every race. I’m lucky to have her.
Speaking of races…
The rest of my day has been dedicated to race preparation. Tomorrow I am running in The Blessing of the Fleet. I know I’ve mentioned the race in previous post, but I think I neglected to say that it takes place at 6 PM. That’s quite the change from my typical running routine. The conditions at night, along the water, will be vastly different from the conditions at 6 AM in the city.
I am running this race to enjoy the experience. It’s the quintessential Rhode Island road race – 10 miles along the coast. Nearly 4,000 people will run…mostly locals. The race ends with a big ol’ Rhody-style clam bake at the Narragansett Pier. I know many people running and we’re planning to live it up!
I’m approaching this race as my long training run of the week. Nothing crazy…I’m not going for any PRs. I’ll even wear my Camelbak because I don’t want to rely solely on water stops for hydration in this heat. Since the race is at night, I want to keep my eats pretty simple tomorrow. I don’t like running on a full belly. Instead, I opted for a fun, carb-loading meal tonight.
Teryaki Fried Rice – inspired by this recipe from Iowa Girl Eats
Ingredients:
- 1/2 c. brown rice, uncooked
- 1 T. canola oil
- 1.5 tsp. minced garlic
- 1 c. frozen mixed vegetables
- 1/2 c. frozen shelled edamame
- 1 whisked egg
- 2 T. teryaki sauce
- cayenne pepper
1. Start by cooking the brown rice according to the package instructions. Check out this IGE trick!
Seal your pot with a kitchen towel contraption. What a ghetto fabulous way to prevent steam from escaping!
While the rice is cooking, you can also steam your frozen veggies and edamame.
2. Time to add the oil to skillet and get that garlic sizzlin’!
3. As the garlic gets fragrant and golden brown, add your steamed medley.
4. Stir-fry the veggies for a couple minutes before pushing them to the edge of the pan. Make room in the center for the whisked egg.
5. Stir until the egg is slightly scrambled. Then add the rice and teriyaki sauce into the pan.
6. Mix it together until your masterpiece is formed. This literally took minutes to make. Minutes!
I scooped a heaping serving onto my plate and promptly sprinkled it with a dash of cayenne. Kristin knows what she’s doing. This dinner was amazing – whole grains, veggies, protein, and lots of flavor! Pre-race meals don’t have to include spaghetti. This meal has everything my body needs to fuel up – and I have enough leftover for lunch tomorrow. I can’t wait to eat this again!
It’s time to kick back and get these legs ready for racing. It feels pretty strange to think I can sleep in on race day. Race prep is definitely different this time around!
Have you ever raced at an odd time? How did your race preparations change? I am soliciting your advice!
