Low key weekend

Low key weekend so far

Weekend so far has been good! Dan hasn't been feeling well so it has been low key, but we've still be enjoying ourselves. Last night we stayed in and watched Beetlejuice, which is an incredibly odd movie. It was one of Dan's childhood favorites (or rather one of his sister's, so he just watched it a lot) and I had never seen it. It really is incredibly weird--not just regular Tim Burton weird, but also just kind of oddly paced and using random music. But still fun/funny!

Such an odd ending.
Image source

Today I did my long run (report below) and then we went to lunch and checked out the new Target! I am way too excited for the Target. The grand opening is tomorrow (obviously I will be going again), but they did a soft open earlier this week. It is a really nice store and they had a lot of "new store discounts," which really serve to entice me to buy things I don't need, which is pretty much the entire purpose of Target.

Then I hit Trader Joe's solo because Dan needed to rest, poor guy. This was a mistake though. I had just received the new "Fearless Flyer" that they send out in the mail and decided that I needed ALL THE PUMPKIN. Seriously. I left with way too much, but that's how it always goes with Trader Joe's (and why I don't do my weekly shopping there--well that, and Wegmans is awesome).

Workout

Long run today! I hadn't run since Monday due to the knee pain, so I was looking forward to this. I covered 7 miles today--another new personal distance record [PDR--spelled out at Dan's recommendation :)]. The weather was FANTASTIC. Seriously like 20 degrees cooler than last week--cold at the beginning but I warmed up! I got to break out the long sleeves again:

Don't mind the messy bathroom. I was trying to
show off the thumb holes but just look odd!

I ran the whole thing in 1:22:15--for an average pace of 11:45 min/mile. Not bad! The knee held up for the most part--I'd describe it as discomfort, not true pain (I had told myself if I felt anything like true pain or shooting that I would quit). It'll depend on how I'm feeling, but right now I'm thinking that I can just resume a normal running schedule. The significant amount of rest didn't really make it feel much better, and running on it didn't make it feel worse. So who knows.

I am mad at myself about one thing though--a girl approached me while I was running to chat (about the tights I was wearing) and we talked for about a mile. She ended up moving past because she was faster than me.But I didn't end up getting her contact info! No I wasn't trying to hit on her, but I did want to friend hit on her (that still sounds creepy). I have been trying to make fitness friends in the area! Oh well, hopefully I'll see her out the trail again, and if Beth sees this, shoot me an email!

Post run car thumbs up (that is cut off):

I don't normally wear a headband when I run, but I thought it could
double as an ear warmer in a pinch today! (Unnecessary)

Beer reviews

I've tried a couple beers in the last few days (insert usual caveat that I am no beer expert, just interested in documenting what I like)--

Schlafly Pumpkin Ale (bottle): Drinking this right now actually! Almost done. I like this a fair amount. Definitely more of a dessert beer, not something to be consumed with food. The pumpkin spice is strong, and it has a good amount of sweetness. But I don't know...I actually don't love this?! In years past, I've been somewhat fixated on pumpkin beer, but this year it isn't really hitting the spot for me--not beer-y enough. Is it possible that my palette has matured beyond pumpkin beers? But still, this is a very solid pumpkin beer--strong pumpkin pie taste with a nice amount of sweetness. The flavor is really there--I'd say this sets the pumpkin beer standard, if that's your thing. Woah, and surprisingly strong, just looked up the ABV (8.0%). You don't really taste that!

New Belgium Brewery Trippel (bottle): Shared this with Dan on Thursday night (debates require drinking--actually thats a lie, we were watching something else and only tuned in for the second half). I wasn't in love with this, but it was very drinkable. The bottle said it had tastes of coriander, but I must not know what coriander tastes like. Had a nice fruity grassy mix. I wouldn't seek it out again, but wouldn't turn it down at a party!

Harpoon Octoberfest (bottle): Consumed on Thursday. I was really surprised at how much I liked this beer because I can really go either way with Octoberfest beers. It had a nice malty taste balanced by the hops--some spice flavor that I couldn't place but very much enjoyed. Incidentally, other people online seem to really not like how this beer finishes ("astringent" seems to be the word of choice), but I didn't have that complaint at all. I'd get this again!

Eats

Not much too exciting on this front. Tonight Dan and I did our homemade pizza (with premade crust). On half the pizza, I did a mozzarella/ricotta/pesto combo, and on the other half, I used the rest of my kale/apple/red onion saute leftovers and topped it with some brie. This was surprisingly tasty! Definitely a fun way to use up leftovers.

I forgot to take a picture until I was halfway through.

Browsing my phone also reveals a picture of the lunch I had on both Thursday and Friday:

Mixed greens topped with edamame, goat cheese, and sweet potato that was warmed in the microwave. Great combination--I liked how the warmed sweet potato made the greens slightly warm. Then on the side I had my favorite combo--cottage cheese on Triscuits (the thin crisp kind). So tasty.

Annnd right now I think I have some TJ's pumpkin ice cream on the horizon...

Oktoberfest + New Mexican brunch

Adventures from the weekend

After a rousing pre-long run Friday night of consumerism and then couch time, I got up Saturday AM ready to tackle my "long run" of 6.5 miles. Report coming up in another post. Some bumps along the way, but I finished with a smile on my face.

Mmm, sweaty ponytail.

After getting back, showering off the grime, and icing, Dan and I headed out for a quick lunch of subs (veggie sub for me). Then we headed over to a local Oktoberfest celebration!

Beer tent. Place to be.

The event was a lot of fun--a good mix of beer drinking/live music + some art/open local historical sites that we hadn't seen. Entertainment and education! It was a gorgeous fall day to be outside and we enjoyed ourselves!

Trying to show off the wristband/beer, but looking oddly triumphant instead.

Dan's first blog appearance! Hi Dan.

Giant puppy making friends.

Band!

After all of that excitement, we grabbed some groceries and came home for a night of laziness. We didn't do too much--hung out, tried some beers, and watched Daniel Craig on SNL. I tried a new recipe for dinner:

Cornbread quiche, with a side of beer and Downton.

I used Caitlin's recipe to make cornbread quiche (I had another piece in addition to what was featured) using zucchini and cheddar cheese. It was decent, and perfectly edible, but not something I'd race to make again. I couldn't help thinking that I would have liked the eggs scrambled with the veggies/cheese plus a side piece of cornbread better. Oh well, it was worth a shot and garnered some leftovers for the week!

Today was fairly low-key, but started out with a tasty meal at Anita's--one of a chain of New Mexican restaurants in Virginia. We had tried them previously for dinner but had heard breakfast was the real star of the show. We agreed and definitely would go back there for weekend brunch. Reasonably priced, good portions, and tasty! I was a little disappointed they didn't have whole beans and only had refried, but it wasn't a crisis--I was too busy eating half a pound of chips to be bothered! I ordered the huevos rancheros with green chili sauce (guac on the side) and remembered to take a picture half-way through my meal:

Half-eaten food

I might try the breakfast burrito next time since Dan's looked so good, but we definitely will be making another visit there!

The rest of the day was spent in glasses and pjs. I did some work, some chores, and some relaxing--nicely balanced Sunday. We had our usual homemade pizza for dinner, which was good as always.

Weekend beers:
I've been meaning to start collecting my beer reviews in a notebook or something, but I figured since I haven't started using the notebook, the blog is as good of a place as any! For the record, I'm no beer expert--these are just my amateur impressions.

Victory Festbier (draught): Tried this at Oktoberfest. It was decent but not something I'd seek out again. Some nice malty tones, but it was just too bitter for my taste. I can handle some hops, but this didn't have enough balance for me.

Brooklyn Brewery Brown Ale (bottle): My favorite of the beers tried this weekend. Lovely malty taste paired with some deeper hints like chocolate and coffee. Pleasant amount of hops. Overall just quite smooth and full-bodied. I really liked this beer and want to get it again soon!

Tripel Karmeliet (bottle): Shared this beer with Dan on Saturday night. Poured with a large head and quite carbonated. Surprisingly easy to drink despite the high ABV. Sweet with a lemony taste. I'd get this beer again, if only because Dan, a non-beer-lover, liked it too!