Showing posts with label snakes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label snakes. Show all posts

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Adamson V. Two Rivers Park

I had the best run of my life last night. But I have to admit it was due to a HUGE adrenaline surge caused by multiple snake sightings. Five snake sightings to be exact. And this incident has led me to divorce Two Rivers Park because clearly it's a problem, and my ankles are not protected.

Logan, Lindsay and I started the run with a nice long stretching session. Since my calves have been feeling like they would explode during my runs, I really took the time to stretch them out.













We got some good stretching in before we took off on a new trail. My mom told me a while back that there was a trail that would take us right next to the river and that it was shaded. I thought maybe that would be a good idea, and it would change up our current route. Well we saw four huge snakes on this new trail. NOT COOL.

I don't do snakes. When I was a little kid, my class went on a field trip. I don't even remember where now. But we had seen a lot of different animals. We were in an auditorium, and the entire time there was a coffee can sitting on the floor.

One of the animal trainers reached down to pick it up and then looked concerned. Then she said, "Well I was going to show you the snake I had in this can, but it seems like it's on the loose."

Well that was enough for me. I came up out of my chair shreaking and ran out of that place as fast as my legs would carry me. Scarred for life. Not even joking. I was terrified.

It wouldn't be an understatement to say the same thing happened yesterday, just without the crying. But the screaming was definitely present. When in terror, I will scream and run like the wind.

I don't think you understand. Logan, Lindsay and I huff and puff every time we run together at a plodding pace. Yesterday was not the case. We were sprinting and sweating and couldn't have felt better about it.

















Snakes are the best motivation I've found to make me run like the wind. We were pretty freaked out about it, and we decided we can't go back to Two Rivers Park this summer because we could get eaten alive by monster snakes.

So I'm divorcing Two Rivers because the snakes made me. I do love to go there, but this is the second time I've seen snakes. And they were too close for comfort. (I don't even like them behind thick glass at the zoo.)

Since we ran earlier in the evening, I got to eat dinner at a reasonable time. On the menu last night: Bottom of the Jar Peanut Butter Oatmeal. (I still haven't went to the store this week.)

















What you will need:

An almost empty jar of peanut butter
1/4 Cup Old Fashioned Oats
1/4 Cup Oat Bran
1 tspn Chia Seeds
Few shakes of cinnamon
Splash of REAL vanilla extract (not that imitation crap)
1/2 Cup Vanilla Almond Milk (plus an extra 1/4 Cup Almond milk to be used later in the recipe)

Combine oats, oat bran, chia seeds, 1/2 cup of almond milk, cinnamon and vanilla in a pot. Stir together. Turn on medium heat until most of the liquid is absorbed. Once most of the liquid is soaked up by the oats, stir in the additional 1/4 cup almond milk. This extra splash of almond milk with make the oatmeat extra fluffy and yummy. Let the oats thicken a few more minutes on medium heat.

Transfer oatmeat into the almost empty peanut butter jar. Stir and enjoy.

HANDS DOWN: The best way to enjoy oatmeal. The peanut butter gets melty. And you will get full because oats are high in fiber and very filling. You should definitely try it.

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Watch Your Feet. There's Snakes Everywhere.

What comes to your mind when you get to a park and there is a sign like this?


















A little nervous? Maybe you think you don't want to, but you end up going anyway. I've ran at Two Rivers Park about three or four times, and I have never seen a snake on the trail. Until yesterday.



















The roommate, Logan, Lindsay, Logan's sister, and I went for our routine run at Two Rivers Park yesterday. As we were doing our warm-up walk, Lindsay (in the lime green top) and Logan (in the black top) about lost it when we came up on a coiled copper colored snake sitting right in the middle of the paved trail.

Lindsay and Logan about stepped on it. My heart almost stopped, and the roommate had no idea what was going on. It was too much. The snake could have taken our legs off had it wanted to.

I'm pretty sure I jinxed us before we started because Lindsay read the sign, and I had to pipe up and be all I've never seen a snake before. It will be fine. And then minutes later, we all almost have heartaches.

But the run turned out to be a good one. Hot, but good. The roommate was excited well before we got to the trail. Hence, this face:



















And once the run was over, we had a let's-have-a-photoshoot-in-the-car-and-try-not-to-wreck moment, which led to this:





Pretty cray cray. But you did get one smiling picture. (Too bad I look as if I have nan hair. That would be a ponytail and excessive sweat.)

All in all, it was a good day. Minus the snake. Our little group is pretty much bad-a when it comes to our running routine, and we work to keep each other motivated. Plus it makes for excellent fellowshiping time.

On Friday, I will be changing up the running routine.

The routine is currently:
  • 5 minute warm-up walk
  • Run 1 minute; Walk 2 minutes for 25 minutes
  • 5 minute cool-down walk
And it will change Friday to:
  • 5 minute warm-up walk
  • Run 90 seconds, walk 90 seconds; Run 3 minutes, walk 3 minutes (two sets of each) for 25 minutes
  • 5 minute cool-down walk
Who's ready for a self-butt-kicking session? This girl. And probably the roommate. And don't worry Logan and Lindsay will be along for the ride as well. Holla Holla.

Have an exceptional Thursday peeps. Watch out for snakes and other creepy crawlies. And lace up those tenny pumps. See you on the trails.