Day 12 - Not fit for Man nor Beast

Yet there is still running to be done. Last night's run was dark, cold, wet, and longer than I have run in quite a long time. Needless to say I was having a little motivation problem. The alternative, however, was a 55 min run in my basement on the treadmill, and no matter how nice I make my basement the thought of running down there for an hour is less than appealing. this is especially so because it can be a long winter here in the D, and I am sure that there will be many nights spent running down there.

So with a few words of derogatory encouragement from my buddies at SlowTwitch, and my cool new a3. beanie (thanks Brian) to keep my head warm and earphones in place, I was off to enjoy the great outdoors. even though the weather could have been better the rain held off for most of the run and the wind was only a factor on the way home (of course), but I still managed a 2 min negative split for the return 3.5 of 7 miles. Not too bad considering that if it were up to me, I would have been planted on the couch all night listening to my butt get bigger. I have to say that this is the area where having a coach to direct you to your full potential, and a group of fellow athletes who are not afraid to call you out as a big wuss really pays off.

To complete this truly healthy evening dinner was one of my favorites, especially after a big run, Copper River Salmon, Smashed Red Skins, and Pine Nut and Goat Cheese Salad. A word about Copper River Salmon - This stuff is a real treat, bright red, full of flavor and Omega 3's, the Copper River Fishery in Alaska is a sustainable fishery that only harvests once a year. When the wild caught salmon hits the shelves in the summer I buy it by the freezer full so that I can freeze it and have some all year long. This fish is much better for you than the farm raised stuff and tastes a lot better too. Here is how we like to do it.

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Copper River Salmon w/ Smashed Red Skins

Lay the fillet on foil skin side down, season directly with S/P. Coat lightly w/ Marinade (grey poupon, red wine vinegar, rice vinegar, EVOO)
Grill (on the foil) for about 10-12 min over med high heat. The fish should just flake when cooked through.

Potatoes - Boil red skins until cooked through and drain. Add butter (not a lot needed), sour cream (again not too much) diced Scallions, and S/P. Smash w/ potato masher to a coarse consistency, mix with a spoon.

Salad - Goat Cheese and Pine Nut Salad

Also goes great with asparagus when in season.

Healthy, and really good after a hard workout. Takes about 20 min to prepare (mostly waiting for the potatoes to cook). - Just try not to eat a pound of salmon like I usually do...