More Planks + 8 Miler + Eggplant Marinara

Yesterday was a pretty decent day for me. I ate well (minus the 3/4 of a blueberry donut someone snuck into our office kitchen), I finally took the plunge and got back on MyFoodDiary.com for this month to kick start some summer bikini-bod weight loss, and I ran an easy/speedy (for me) 8 miler after work.

Wednesday's Run:

Time:	01:19:00
Distance:	8.22 mi

Avg Pace: 9:36 min/mi

Best Pace: 6:33 min/mi

Split	secondsTotal Time	milesTotal Distance	feetElevation Gain	feetElevation Loss	minutes per mileAverage Speed	minutes per mileMax Speed
Summary	01:19:00	8.22	940	1,003	09:36	06:33
1	9:54	1.00	140	164	09:54	08:23
2	9:36	1.00	69	76	09:36	08:20
3	9:55	1.00	84	95	09:55	08:32
4	9:48	1.00	62	71	09:48	08:33
5	10:06	1.00	46	41	10:06	09:13
6	9:54	1.00	87	52	09:54	08:16
7	9:20	1.00	180	196	09:20	07:31
8	8:44	1.00	262	295	08:44	07:24
9	1:38	0.22	11	14	07:28	06:33

The run was just great. The weather was cool and windy (a bit too windy actually) and I started out with a 4 mile loop around Hampton Park and back. For me, usually the first half of the run isn't that great. This one was no different as I could feel the soreness in my legs from Tuesday's speedwork (did I mention that I got spat on at the track from one of the super runners? Yep! Not on purpose of course, plus he apologized so it was all good) so it took me about 4 miles to warm up.

But once I got past mile 4 I started to kick it into high gear and the rest of the run was cake. I managed to sprint it in for the final stretch down Calhoun Street to my apartment and I felt good once I stopped.

I made sure to stretch well and then came inside for some ab work...more PLANKS!

Wednesday's Abs:

• 1 x 60 second regular plank
• 1x 60 second left side plank
• 1x 60 second right side plank
• 20 reverse crunches (I think this is what they're called? When you raise your butt and legs in the air while on your back??)

My abs were pretty sore all day yesterday from doing ab work Tuesday night. And I liked it! I don't do nearly enough ab work, and my goal is to start seeing some impovement in a month or two (in time for hot weather/bikinis). You may have noticed that I have been doing a lot more ab work and leg calisthenics. Since I don't have a gym membership (oh to be poor) and I think I have decided not to get one for a while, I have made a goal for myself to work with what I've got. So every day I am going to try to do some sort of exercise on my own other than running.

I would like to do some sort of ab work every day and possibly alternate days of doing leg work (squats, lunges, leg lifts, etc.). I'm just going to go at my own pace with it and see where it takes me. I would like to find some hand weights this weekend to get some arm work in, as well as to aid in squats/etc.

Wednesday's Dinner:
I made another super easy dinner last night for the boy and I (vegetarian even!) with our groceries from Sunday and unfortunately I forgot to take a pic, but if you're interested here is my (somewhat) recipe.

What's good about this recipe, is that you can add in many other ingredients to make it your own. I added Worchestershire Sauce this time, but last time I made it I carmelized the onions with white wine. It would even be super tasty (but not as healthy) with some melted provolone or goat cheese.

Eggplant and Veggie Marinara

• 1 medium to large onion, sliced into thin half moons
• 2 yellow squash (or any other seasonal veggie) diced
  
• 1/2 large eggplant cut into thick slices
• Bread crumbs
• Whole wheat flour
• Egg whites
• Rosemary
• Garlic powder
• Minced garlic
• Worchestershire Sauce
  
• 1/2 to 3/4 jar basic spaghetti sauce (or you can make your own!)
• 1/2 box whole wheat rotini
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Non-Stick Cooking Spray
  

Preheat the oven to about 400F. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick spray and set aside. Pour a small amount of egg whites into a bowl (large enought to fit the eggplant slices), fill another bowl with some whole wheat flour, and another filled with some bread crumbs. I usually mix the bread crumbs with some sort of spice, and last night I used some rosemary and garlic powder.

Dip the eggplant into the flour, then the egg, and then finally the crumb mixture. Place onto baking sheet and then spray the nonstick cooking spray over the slices so they will turn golden. I use an olive oil based spray. Pop the eggplant into the oven for about 30 minutes, just keep your eye on them to make sure they don't burn. When they're golden and tender to the touch they are done.

While the eggplant is baking, start boiling some water for the pasta. Let the pasta cook while you prepare the onions and veggies.

Heat a large skillet with some olive oil. Once the oil is heated, add the onion and let cook on MH heat until transulcent. Then add in your veggies and turn up to high heat (I have used acorn squash in that past, but I used yellow squash last night) and also the minced garlic (about 2 cloves).

The first time I made this, I used a white wine to carmelize the onions. This was excellent, but last night I went a different route. While the veggies were cooking, I added some Worchestershire sauce! Probably just a few turns of the bottle. (I was going to use balsamic vinegar as I usually add this to my pasta sauce, but we were out, so i went with the next dark liquid we had in the pantry...oddly enough it worked!). I kept stirring the veggies until they were good and charred.

Once the pasta is done, drain it and return to heat. Add in some tomato sauce and let heat through. You also might want to add some more sauce seperately (heat it up in the microwave) to pour over the eggplant. I would suggest this!

To plate this dish, I usually put the sauced pasta on the bottom, then start adding the eggplant while adding the extra sauce between each eggplant slice. Then top it off with the veggies and possibly some sea salt.

I might have poured some BBQ sauce onto mine as well, possibly. If I did, it was really really good that way.

***
I am taking today as a rest day from running and will only do some ab work and calisthenics. Tomorrow morning I am heading out early for my final long run of 20+ miles before I start to taper for my first marathon on May 2nd. It's getting closer!