Champion of breakfasts.

I'm not a runner. In high school, my gym teacher practically had to chase me around the track so I would finish the mile we had to run every Wednesday. You could say that running is exactly the opposite of what you already know I love, eating. I tried running in college but never really got into it -- winters were too cold to run outside, and my house gym only had two treadmills. But when I started working, I was walking less (taking the metro to work instead of walking to class) and eating more (the proverbial office candy bowl? Not so proverbial after all), so I knew I couldn't avoid the gym anymore. The way I saw it, if I was going to set aside half an hour to 45 minutes to exercise, I wanted to get the biggest caloric bang for my buck.

So I tried running again. But I needed motivation, so I decided this summer that I would register for a 5K in the fall. I no longer loathed running the way I did in high school, but at the time I made the decision, it still seemed impossible. But I had help: a lot of encouragement from my friends (runners and non-runners alike), and some self-motivating perks such as new workout music, new workout clothes, and of course (this is, after all, a blog about food), new workout food. I started making morning shakes after running: frozen fruit makes shakes nice and cold, and Greek yogurt makes them rich enough to feel like a decadent dessert. Maybe my morning smoothies didn't include whey protein or flax seed like those of serious athletes might, but mine were delicious.

Through some combination of encouragement, yummy smoothies, and resistance against the temptation to snooze in the morning, I finally ran my first 5K on Friday. My goal was to run the whole race without stopping to walk, and to finish in under 30 minutes. I'm happy to say, I finished at exactly 28:00. What's your post-workout food of choice?

~

Sunrise Smoothie

1 c frozen peaches

1 c fresh strawberries

1/2 c Greek yogurt

1 t honey

Splash of orange juice

Let the peaches thaw a little (just the same length of time as a shower worked for me). Blend all ingredients until smooth and frothy (an immersion blender works just fine). Beware the brain freeze.