Vegan & Running weekend adventures in the DMV

Busy busy, this past weekend.  We had more on our schedule than was humanly possible, I think.

Saturday started off in Arlington, VA, at the 5k Turtle Trot.  This was a fun little trail run to benefit Long Branch Nature Center to rescue and rehabilitate turtles!  I just love turtles- I'm a turtle saver (one of those crazy people who stops their car to move turtles out of the roadway), and couldn't pass this one up.

My time wasn't great, but I think it was okay considering the terrain, and the fact that I had to tie shoes on the way.

It was cute- there were a number of elementary school aged children running this one.  I was just behind a group of three boys (age 8 or so) and one had two untied shoes with laces flopping all over.  He kept trying to stop to tie them, but his friends kept running, and I guess he was worried about being left behind.  Finally, I asked him to please tie his shoes before he fell and hurt himself (or the slow runner behind him- me!).  He stopped, and was really struggling, so I stopped, too, and tied both of his shoes. As I was tying the second one, one of his friends came over and asked me to tie his shoes as well.  I figure there went a minute or two.

After a race, I like to treat myself to good vegan food.  Rob and I went to Khepra's Raw Food Juice Bar in NE DC.  A tiny little room in the back of a wellness shop, this food looked and smelled delicious and was worth the trip.  Rob and I were each looking at the menu, when we realized that the girl in front of us in line was getting a little of everything.  So we did that, too!  A large (one entree, and a sample of each of ~10 sides) was $15, but fed each of us for 3 meals, so I think it was fairly priced.

Here's what all I got: Avacado Plantain Pie (my entree), spinach seaweed salad, garlic kale, creamy kale, wild rice, jerk eggplant, okra, plantains, cauliflower, broccoli.  I might be missing something.  Anyway, all very raw, very tasty.  The nice thing about eating raw foods like these is you don't worry about portion size.  This is all good stuff.

Sunday I was signed up to run another race.  I know- it seems crazy to run two races in a weekend, but I didn't allow myself to run ANY races while I was writing my comps, and I went a little kooky signing up.  This one was the Capitol Hill Classic, and I ran the 3k.  This was a pretty exciting race for me, because I was able to RUN the whole thing.  Generally when I run longer distances, I run intervals of 8 minutes, with 1 minute walks.  Rob signed up to do it with me at the last minute, and although he hasn't been training, he kept pace with me the whole way- he was so supportive and great, I know part of the reason I was motivated to run the whole time is because he was with me.  Anyway, finished the 3k in 23:48.

 

After the race, we were walking to the metro, and I could hear music coming from an open window of a church.  I stopped and said to Rob, "That's Mozart! That's The Requiem!"  As I walked up the front steps of the church, another woman came from around the corner and said "Is that Requiem in D minor?  The three of us went inside to find that a college choir was visiting and giving a concert.  Sweaty and stinky, we stood just outside the nave doors and listened.  They were phenomenal.  Mozart's Requiem is one of my favorite pieces of music ever.  I feel it in my soul.

I actually missed going to some scheduled events on Sunday because of this impromptu concert.  I'm sorry- friends, but it was worth it!

After that unexpected surprise, Rob and I (now STARVING) hopped the Metro up to Sticky Fingers Bakery.  This is one of the best vegan establishments in the city, most people visit because Doran Peterson was a winner of one of those Food TV Cupcake competitions.  I love the sweets, but my favorite thing to order there is the Reuben.

To tell you how good it is, let me explain.  Generally when Rob and I go to a vegan restaurant, we always make sure to order different things, then we go "halvsies" and split our meals with eachother so we can taste more things.  But when we go to Sticky Fingers- we both order our own Reubens.  They are very tasty, marinated tempeh with sauerkraut and daiya on rye bread.  (At home, I use pumpernickel).  Yum.

I picked up a Margarita cupcake for later, and Rob got a chocolate chip cookie.  It ended up getting crumbly, so after getting off the Metro, we sat down and had a sidewalk picnic with the bits.