Is it really Monday already? I feel like this weekend flew by! That being said, Drew and I got to do quite a few fun things and really enjoyed our weekend together.  Saturday morning we awoke bright an early for the Atlanta Beltline Southwest 5K. We’d registered for the race a few weeks back and I was looking forward to my next race since The Color Run back at the end of March.  More importantly, I was excited about being able to get an actual time since The Color Run was more of a “for fun” race than a serious competition.  All this aside, I was seriously second guessing my choice—waking up at 5:30 on a weekend? Let’s not make a habit of this…

Team Engauge before the race. I didn’t get the color memo apparently.

The race started at 7:30 and we spent the half hour beforehand picking up our bib numbers, stretching and mingling with other members of Team Engauge. Once we started queuing up at the start line, I realized this was not going to be your typical 5K.  How’s the best way to put this? The course was a little…off-road.  We spent the first ¾ mile running through mud, gravel, grass and rocks.  Definitely not my idea of fun but it made me even more grateful that the remainder of the race was on flat, smooth road.

Drew and I after the race. The black and white hides our sweat better

Drew and I ended up finishing together, at a much faster time than I thought. I assumed that because of the first leg of the course, I’d have a pretty poor finishing time.  Drew, the veteran runner, knew we were going a much faster pace than I thought and tried to tell me as much.  I on the other hand was acting quite stubborn and didn’t believe him.  As we approached the finish line and our time of 24:54 flashed above us in red lights, I could hardly believe it.  Turns out my time was good enough to score 2^nd place overall in my age group, and I now have a cool coaster/medal to show for it.  Considering my goal time of 27 minutes, I was very happy with the outcome. We’re already talking about signing up for the Atlanta Beltline Eastside 10K come December.  I know it was especially important for Drew to be able to spend some quality time with his Engauge friends, as he’s starting a new chapter in his career this week.

My 2nd place age group finisher medal/coaster!

After spending the majority of the afternoon recovering and relaxing—and multiple hour nap may have ensued—we walked over to Publik, the bar right next to the Fox Theatre.  Hard to believe we’ve lived so close, less than a 5 minute walk away, and had never been before.  We ordered beers and a few appetizers before heading next door to the theatre to see The Avengers.  It was a full house and the crowd was incredibly enthusiastic-whooping and cheering for the good guys.  It was a nice change from the typical movie theatre.  After the movie we walked a few blocks to Empire State South for cocktails and dessert.  We didn’t get home until a bit before midnight and despite our afternoon nap, we were more than ready to call it a night.  I guess that’s what happens when you wake up with the birds on a Saturday morning…

Good eats at Publik. Fries and curried sweet potato wontons…and beers, of course.

We spent Sunday morning in church, followed by lunch at a new-to-us Mexican restaurant with some friends.  I pass Perla Taqueria every day on my commute to work, but had never been.  Glad to know there’s yet another place Drew and I can go when a taco craving strikes.  I then spent the majority of the afternoon baking, making several dozen apple cinnamon and bran muffins.  Drew made oreo-stuffed chocolate chip cookies, a delicious cookie invention he made up back at Christmastime when we had a cookie exchange with our house church group. Needless to say, our apartment smelled gooood.

Apple Cinnamon Muffins, makes about 1 1/2 dozen

• 1 1/2 cups flour (I used half white flour, half whole wheat flour)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup milk
• 4 Tbs. melted butter or oil
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 large apple, chopped fine

Preheat oven to 375.  In a large bowl combine the flour, sugars, baking powder and cinnamon. Add in chopped apples.  In a small bowl, whisk together the milk, egg and butter or oil.  Pour in the large bowl and stir until just combined; don’t over-mix.  Spoon batter into muffin tray lined with baking cups.  Bake for 15-20 minutes or until tops are slightly brown.

Carrot Raisin Bran Muffins, adapted from this recipe, makes 12

• 1 1/2 cups white or whole wheat flour (I used a combination of the two)
• 3/4 cup flaxseed meal
• 3/4 cup wheat bran
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 cups finely shredded carrots
• 2 peeled and shredded apples (I left out so I’d have enough to make the apple cinnamon muffins)
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 3/4 cup pecans, chopped
• 3/4 milk
• 2 beaten eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350.  In a large bowl combined flour, flaxseed, wheat bran, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.  Add in carrots, apples (if using), raisins and pecans.  In a small bowl, whisk together milk, eggs and vanilla.  Pour into flour mixture and stir enough just to combine; do not over-mix.  Spoon batter onto muffin tray lined with baking cups.  Bake for 13-15 minutes.