T-Minus 68 Days...

That's right...at exactly 12:05 a.m. TODAY I received this week's training plan for the first race of 2012!

Early 2011 saw two half marathons (exactly two weeks apart) and two 5k's...I ran the dread mill for the remainder of the year and somewhere in November I proclaimed a self diagnosed ailment (apathetic grey matter in nature) and went on hiatus. In December, I entered the 2012 DC Cherry Blossom lottery (at the very last minute in a raspberry vodka induced stupor) and the very next day I received my congratulatory letter...get ready fat ass, you're running 10 miles on April 1!!!!!!

After the packers and movers left me feeling extremely violated last week (well, not really violated...one of the packers asked if I wanted to keep my toothbrush) I thought I was emotionally ready to run. Then I looked out my rear view mirror this past Saturday and saw the MAGNIFICENT Detroit skyline (that's right...I used magnificent AND Detroit in the same sentence) disappearing way too quickly. After 42 years, I felt like something died...I felt a sudden sense of urgency to defend the team I had forever referred to as the "Loser Lions"...a sudden sense of urgency to tell the world I worked with Marshall the fry guy (the rest of you would later come to know him as Eminem) and he is truly a compassionate man...a sudden sense of urgency to defend (yep...I'm going to say it) DETROIT!

Fast forward...4:25 a.m. No way in the world I can start training today. I'll just sign up for another race some other time...this is just not my race. I spent all day vacillating...could I squeeze a quick run in before lunch...definitely not...after DH arrived home from work but before dinner...oh hell no...Cricket and Bubba were already chomping at the bit about a 6:00 p.m. dinner bell...yep...most definitely not my race...BUT THEN IT HAPPENED!!!!

I figured out the long lost password for the wireless!!!!!!!

The doctor decided he would use his savvy IT skills one day far back and managed to bugger it all up and up until this afternoon...anyone with a laptop stood in line waiting for their crack at the CAT 5 cable...AKA "The Golden Ticket".

Now...we were free birds and my iPad (which lay idle for days) shone one of the world's most beautiful sights...a simple bowl of pasta topped with fresh basil!!!

At this point I'm feeling ALIVE!!!!!

I'm not worried that I live in zone 7 and the basil in the store is not really "fresh"...I've got the next best thing, my trusted tube of Gourmet Garden Basil and I'm going to serious damage!!!

1/2 lbs. ground turkey breast
3 sweet Italian turkey sausage (casing removed)
2 leeks (use the whole damn thing...whites & greens)
28 oz can whole maters crushed by me + 2 fresh maters
Whole bunch of crushed garlic (I loathe chopping so I peel the paper off, smash them on the counter and toss them in whole...they'll cook down)
About 1/2 tube basil
Pinch of sea salt
Couple of cranks on the pepper mill

Brown turkey and leeks...add crushed maters, garlic, basil, salt and pepper and let it simmer all day. Just before serving, add about 2 tablespoons 1/2 & 1/2 (this will really mess 'em up...they'll think it's some bistro carryout!)

Throw it over some Ronzoni Smart Taste rotini (they'll never know it's good for them)

and Voila!!!!

So I'm back on track for tomorrow at 4:25 a.m. and all it took was a wireless connection and some squeeze basil!!!!!

Cheers~

H


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