We are in Sarasota, Florida visiting friends and connecting with family. The timing worked out perfectly for me to be able to walk in the Sarasota Music Half Marathon and 10K. Interesting though going back to my last post when I mentioned my new mantra of “Perform action without regard for the fruits of action”. This trip is a great example of that. We committed to coming to Sarasota so I could participate in the race and we could visit John’s roommate from college and his wife. We organized the fur babies with doggie hotel and kitten sitter, packed our bags and headed south. Little did we know how much fun this trip would turn out to be.

Training

Spent the two weeks leading up to the trip training religiously every day except Sunday. I wanted to be sure I had not only the speed but the endurance as well. Managed to get caught in the rain and one day was truly bitterly cold for South Carolina. All in all though it was great weather for training. The birds are really wonderful right now in our area with many Great Blue Herons. Soon they will be making their nests but for now they were fishing. I took a picture nearly every day of this guy who finally had enough and gave a loud squawk and took off. Just managed to catch lift off.

Fun Coincidences

We didn’t plan many details of the trip other than to get from Dataw to Sarasota and to make sure I got my race materials and that I showed up at the race on Sunday. I wasn’t sure where anything was located but to my delight and those of our hosts, the race started and ended right around the corner from their condo and the route took it right in front of their place and across the bridge that crosses the bay.

We did make one other plan with the hope of seeing friends who moved to Sarasota two years ago from our home town of North Hatley, Page and Beverly Dame. We managed to find the packet pick up spot and then joined the Dames along with Bob and Amy at a delicious lunch. Turns out Amy and Page knew a number of interesting folks in common and we laughed all the way through lunch.

Cousins

I contacted a cousin that I had not seen in many years to see if we could touch base. Turns out she was free for a drink and we met at a local spot within walking distance of where we were staying. A dolphin put on quite a show for us while we were there. I think he knew he was being watched. Caroline and Pat came back with us for supper afterwards and we enjoyed a super catchup. Well don’t you know when I asked her where they lived it turns out to be right around the corner from our friends with whom we had lunch. What are the chances of that. Hope they bump into each other at their pub sometime.

Before and After

• 

• 

Our friend Bob and John made sure I got up in time to make the 6:30 start and they even walked me the mile to get there as it was still dark out. I felt very special as I was alone at this race without my usual walking pals. Amy joined the two of them as they cheered me on when I went by the condo on my way over the bridge and then again on my way back. Oh, yes, I felt really special. I was thrilled with my time as I crushed it at 1 hour 34 minutes and 58 seconds. My best time ever for a 10K. Must have been all that cheering!!

Recipe Promised

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup whole-wheat flour
• ¾ cup all-purpose flour
• ½ cup cocoa powder *brain booster
• 1½ tablespoons instant coffee (or finely ground coffee) *brain booster, decaf ok
• 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• 3 whole eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 ripe banana, microwaved for 30 seconds and mashed
• ½ cup plain nonfat or low-fat Greek yogurt
• ½ cup honey
• 1 tablespoon canola oil, I used coconut oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1¼ cups blueberries, rinsed and patted dry *brain booster
• ½ cup dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips

PREPARATION:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Mist a large cookie sheet (or two standard size) with oil spray and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, add both flours, cocoa powder, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, and instant coffee. Mix until well combined
In a separate bowl, add the wet ingredients; eggs, mashed banana, yogurt, honey, oil, and vanilla. Stir until everything is well combined and the banana is thoroughly mashed (if small pieces remain, that’s okay).
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry, gently stirring until fully incorporated. Fold in the blueberries and chocolate chips (or you save the chocolate chips to sprinkle on top before baking). Do not overmix.
Prepare the cookies for the oven by drop a heaping tablespoon of batter, one at a time, on to the baking sheet. The batter will be very sticky, so mist the spoon or your hands with oil spray if needed. Flatten each cookie by gently pressing the tops with the back of a fork (be sure to mist the fork with oil spray to prevent sticking). Top each cookie with a sprinkling of optional chocolate chips. Bake for 12-15 minutes. Let cool and enjoy!
To freeze: Allow to cool on counter for at least an hour. Then, wrap each cookie individually or put 2-3 together in small bags and stash in freezer. Take out and allow to thaw at room temperature or quickly defrost in microwave for about 30 seconds.
Makes about 30 cookies. Nutrition provided for 1 cookie.

Amount per Serving

• Calories: 80
• Protein: 3 g
• Total Fat: 2 g
  • Unsaturated Fat: 1.5 g
  • Saturated Fat: 0.5 g
• Cholesterol: 20 mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 14 g
• Dietary Fiber: 2 g
• Total Sugar: 7 g
  • Natural Sugar: 2 g
  • Added Sugar: 6 g
• Sodium: 90 mg

I can attest to the fact that these are delicious and when in a hurry and you need to grab something quick, way better than a donut 😃

Our adventure continues with meet ups with a classmate of mine, another cousin or two thrown in and a long over due visit with John’s sister. Then home to the fur crowd.