It's autumn in Nebraska City, even though the temps are close to 70 and Tuesday it's supposed to reach 80. Heady stuff for this Alaska gal.
 |
| Bush outside the Arts Center. Look at those colors, so vibrant and bold! |
Today fellow residents M (painter) and A (musician) and I headed out the Steamboat Trace Trail for biking/running.
I've been running back roads since arriving in Nebraska almost two weeks ago, and for two weeks people have been telling me I should run the Steamboat Trace Trail, a 21-mile stretch of wooded trail.
 |
| Steamboat Trace Trailhead |
Except everyone said that, no, I couldn't run to the trail because you have to take Highway 75, and Highway 75 is this big, busy interstate (we don't have interstates in Alaska so it's thrilling to watch the big semi trucks roar past).
Imagine my surprise when we drove out today and I realized that the trailhead is less than a mile from the country roads where I usually run.
Duh! So much for my map reading abilities.
M and A took off on their bikes and I took off running.
 |
| A and M getting ready to hit the trail. |
The trail was soft dirt and lined with trees, amazing autumn colors all around. M and A saw a deer but I only saw a squirrel. No matter. The trail was quiet, lovely and peaceful, and it was SO nice to finally get off the roads.
 |
| Hello, trail! Nice to finally meet you. |
On the drive home we saw wild turkeys. I tried to take a pic but they were too fast. Have you ever seen a turkey run? These critters were speedy! They held their necks really straight and tall, too, as if they were proud of their form. If anyone ever says, "You run like a turkey," know this: It's a damned fine compliment.
 |
| That brown smudge ahead of the sign is one of the slower turkeys. |
But let's talk about better things, like food. Last night I made my very own energy bars. They were good, too. So good I finished them off after today's run.
 |
| Yum, yum, yummy |
I didn't write down the recipe but it sorta goes like this:
High Protein Energy Bars
A couple handfuls of raw oats
Four heaping tablespoons rice protein powder (soy would work, too)
A small handful brown sugar
A couple big spoonfuls of natural peanut butter
A big handful of sunflower seeds
A pinch of baking powder
A bit of salt
A bit of cinnamon
One egg
Enough cooking oil (or margarine) to moisten and hold together
Spray cookie sheet with cooking oil and spread mixture out flat (as if making brownies). Cook on 350 for 10-15 minutes. Cut when cooled.
These bars are packed with protein and deliver enough sugar and carbs to fuel while running/exercising. They worked well with my hypoglycemia, and the protein/carb/fat ratio kept my blood sugar stable (though I'm not recommending them for others with blood sugar problems since I'm not a doc).
Weekly stats:
Running: 12 mile Monday, 6.25 Wednesday, 14 Thursday, 10 Sunday
Swimming: 1.5 miles Tuesday, 1 mile Friday
Reading: Anne Tyler, Kathryn Harrison and lots of writing magazine
Writing: Oh, oh, yes!
That trail looks lovely. Glad you found it. We have lots of wild turkeys around here.
ReplyDeleteOnce again, no rest day. Are you human? :) nice trail.
ReplyDeleteYAY!! You found your trail! It looks beautiful with the falling leaves.
ReplyDeleteHey, Mary: I rested Saturday. Not only did I rest, but I ate a whole bag of pretzels, as one should always do on rest days, no?
ReplyDeleteI'm in the airline industry and get tired of eating out all the time, not to mention how bad eating out makes me feel and not to mention money spent. I'm looking for ideas on what to take on my three, four, five day trips to keep me up to speed. I mostly take snacks such as trail mix, whole grain bars, energy bars, but I need food food to eat when I get to my hotels. Can't really frigerate anything since I'm on a plane the entire time and most hotels do not have a refrigerator anyway. I think this is my biggest problem and at a stand still now. I do not have rules on liquids I can get past security so this is not an issue.
ReplyDeleteregards,
hvac training AK