Get set, ready, go!

Hope everyone had a fantastic long weekend!

I started off Friday morning with something that I haven't made in a long time...blueberry pancakes! I tried to find a healthier mix alternative and this was the best that Longos had to offer:

All I needed to add to the mix was 1 tbsp of oil and 2/3 cup of skim milk. I also opted to add in some frozen blueberries...though they kind of look like chocolate chips in this pic 

I didn't want to run the day before the actual 8K run on Friday so I decided to just do 45 minutes on the elliptical and lifted some weights (10 lb-ers). 

Dinner was at one my all time favorite vegetarian restaurant - Fresh on Richmond and Spadina. 

Shared the Quinoa Onion Rings with garlic mayo. 

My vegetarian Thai Burger - vegan burger patty on whole wheat bun with thai peanut sauce. Kale salad on the side. 

Andrei's Beach Bowl sans tofu steaks with goat cheese instead

Before you know it, it was race day! 

The weather was absolutely beautiful for the run on Saturday. A little nippy at first in the morning but it was great by the time we got to the run at 9:30am. 

I felt pretty energized when the race began (fueled up with a bowl of steel cut oats and a Vega endurance gel pack) and was pretty stoked to begin the run. I didn't really take any breaks this run like I thought I would...though I did stop for a couple of breaths twice. I felt good for the majority of the race until the very end..which was about 200m of straight up-hill. What a way to make people finish the race! I was in quite a lot of pain when I finally crossed the finish line ... but it was worth it!

The calibration on my Nike+ is a little off but the time is pretty accurate. 

I know, I looked like a 10 year old running the race. But anyways! My official chip time was 45 mins and 36 seconds. I was pretty happy with the time...my original goal was to finish under 47 mins so I did it! Hopefully I'll be able to do it under 45 mins next year :) 

Also scored some freebies at the run :):)

Post-run dinner was a special treat - Ethiopian food! It was definitely a new experience for me...not only because of the cuisine itself but we had to eat with our hands! The restaurant, Sheba Restaurant, was near Kensington market. 

My vegetarian veggie platter - small servings of lentils, sweet potatoes, collards, cabbage, and some other beans that I could not figure out...all served with Inerja - Ethiopian bread made from teff and barley that's cooked like a pancake! 

Hope everyone had a great Easter weekend! But most importantly, yay to me being able to eat chocolate again !! :)