It's November

This wacky weather has given me yet another cold. It's my third in six months. The last two I went and got anti-biotics, so I pretty much refuse this time! I will try to weather the storm. If I am no better by Monday I might bite the bullet and go to the doctor.

Funny enough, this latest sickness came only hours after my best long run in 2 years. Ron (my long run partner) and I ran 20 miles at 7:30 pace, progressing the last 8 miles and finishing at 6:48 pace for the final mile. When I got home I started to get the chills and sorted other funkiness. I really hate being sick. I especially hate it three weeks before a marathon.

I was already on the fence about actually running Philadelphia Marathon. I was feeling like I needed a little more time. A few more weeks to get in some runs longer than 20 miles, and also some good workouts. So when I got sick I decided to throw in the towel. I will basically be missing another week of training just when my toe was getting better.

I've decided to run Rehobeth Beach Marathon in Delaware with my training partner. that will give me 3 more weeks of training. The weather has been beautiful, but I am now armed with a nice weather cover for the jogger. I hope I won't have to use it too often before Christmas.

I'm hoping this funk will be gone by the end of the weekend. I have been drinking more tea than the queen! At least I am staying hydrated. If Eileen would sleep for more than 4 hours in a stretch it would help me greatly, but she doesn't seem to be in any rush to do that!

The big hub-bub around here lately was of course the snow storm. I was all set to get up on Saturday morning and drive up to Oakland to try and win a pumpkin role at the 10k. I woke to snow covered roads and called my friend Jen who lives up that way. Oakland gets more snow than Bruceton, and Bruceton gets more snow than Morgantown. So it was raining in Morgantown, snowing in Bruceton with a couple inches of accumulation, and snowing even more in Oakland with about 7 inches of accumulation. Jen told me I should stay home and she braved the snow covered roads to get to Broadford park which is usually 20 minutes away but took her 50 minutes. Then they decided not to run the 10k and only run the 5k. So, I am glad I stayed home!

Recipe of the Week (or two)
Last week I hosted a Pampered Chef Party, We had great fun. It prompted me to look on their website for some recipes. This is what I found:
Easy Chicken Fajitas

1	medium red bell pepper
1	medium green bell pepper
1	large onion
1	plum tomato
1	pound boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1	package (1-1.25 ounces) fajita seasoning mix
2	garlic cloves, pressed
1	small lime, cut in half
8	(7-8-inch) flour tortillas, warmed
	Optional toppings: salsa, shredded cheese, guacamole, sliced pitted ripe olives and sour cream

Directions:

1. Cut bell peppers into 1/2-inch strips. Cut onion and tomato into 1/4-inch wedges. Set vegetables aside. Cut chicken into 1/4-inch strips. Combine chicken and seasoning mix in small bowl; toss to coat and set aside.
2. Heat Grill Pan over medium-high heat. Lightly spray pan with vegetable oil using Kitchen Spritzer. Add bell peppers and onion; cook 3 minutes without stirring. Stir and cook an additional 3 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender. Remove vegetables from pan; set aside.
3. Spray pan again with vegetable oil. Add chicken; cook 2-3 minutes without stirring. Add garlic. Stir and cook 3-4 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink. Add reserved vegetable mixture and tomato to pan. Squeeze lime over chicken mixture. Cook 1 minute or until heated through; stir.
4. To serve, spoon a portion of the chicken and vegetable mixture in center of each tortilla. Top with desired toppings, if desired.

You of course don't have to use their grill pan. 

Picture of the week

                                            Dragon Takes flight!