Victory never tasted so cinnamon-y

I just got in from my first non-mediocre run in a week. It has been one whole week since the last time I didn't feel like my legs were made of rubber or my lungs were made out of lead. And while I'm not about to gush about how glorious my 3 mile run was, I am just so relieved that I haven't "lost my groove". I know it's true that you can't lose your fitness in one bad week, but it is such a blow to the morale when you can barely make it through routes that used to be a breeze and such a breath of fresh air when you finally see a glimmer of proof that, yes, you can still run.

And boy, do I love that breath of fresh air.

I tried a new route today, through roads that I had run on before...but never as part of a short run. They were always the add on roads I slogged down to finish 8 or 10 or 12 miles during training for a longer distance race. Running a new route is always exciting, it keeps you on your toes and doesn't seem quite as stale or dreary as running a route that you've run about 1094320843098x in your lifetime. And because I didn't have to go down tons of little side roads to rack the mileage up, it is definitely a route that I will have to do again (earlier in the day however, when so many people aren't rushing to get home from work).

Right now I am topping off my emergence from the land of cruddy runs with a nice, tall glass of homemade iced tea. It's really quite easy and delicious; just boil a teapot full of water and 2 cinnamon sticks and, after the water is boiled, let 2 Red Rose tea bags steep in the water for about 5 minutes (less for weaker tea, longer for stronger tea...but it can get a little bitter if steeped for too long).

[Also, I tasted my cake creation from last night. Sweet mother of pearl is it dense. But the different flavors (of banana, chocolate, and walnut) aren't too overbearing and, although the cake itself isn't overly sugary, the frosting lends just the right amount of sweetness. It's pretty darn good, if I do say so myself. It's not a cake I would make as a birthday cake or for a big event, but for a day-to-day, semi-healthy cake...I'll take it.]