First Race Award and Wheat Berry Salad

No luck with getting Skipper to use his doghouse in the backyard yet, but Miko is happy to claim it!

I’m hoping to get Skipper comfortable in it soon because it started raining early this morning and Skipper let us know he was not happy about it in the backyard even though he was under the patio overhang.

Whew, yesterday was a long, fun, and exhausting day. It started at around 7am in front of Whole Foods for the Whole Foods Family Fun Run. This run offered a half marathon, 10k, 5k, and a kids 1-mile run. We were pleasantly surprised that it was a smaller scale, less crowded event because it’s a newer annual race. I’m sure that will change next year!

I ran the 10k race and hubby did the 5k. He also got this video of me starting the race. :-)

httpv://youtu.be/KYag9c8LECE

The route was challenging with a lot of elevation changes up over overpasses and down into hilly nature trails and the last mile was a dirty trick because I could see Whole Foods in the distance and knew I was getting close, but turned a corner and realized we had to climb a huge overpass ramp and over a road in strong crosswinds before reaching the finish line. But I still maintained a pretty good pace considering and will be feeling the hills today for sure!

What caught me off guard was winning first place for my age group!

My pace was pretty average for me, but I didn’t have a lot of competition in a smaller race and ended up with more race memorabilia for my collection.

There was a post race breakfast served in front of Whole Foods, but the vegan options were scarce – non-vegan mini muffins, granola with yogurt, and egg-loaded quiche.

Good thing I’m not a fan of that style heavy breakfast and had a pre-race protein smoothie. Plus getting lots of Larabar, Vega, and raw nut butter freebies made up for it.

The rest of the day was kind of a whirlwind of house chores, running to Target since we go through a lot more paper towels and dog treats now with Skipper, and whipping up a new recipe for a family Labor Day gathering at my sister’s house later in the afternoon. Sorry, I didn’t get a lot of pictures of it with all the hustle. I started with this recipe for a bulgur salad as a jumping off point, and ended up way out in left field with something different and delicious since I was using what we had in the pantry and garden.

I still have a lot wheat berries left from our trip to the Almond Festival. They’re actually one of my favorite grains because they’re very nutty, hearty, and chewy. But also a little more of a challenge to cook requiring at least 25 minutes in a pressure cooker and hours using stove top or a slow cooker, here’s more info on the various cooking methods.

The end result made a colorful, hearty, and cool summer addition to our Labor Day celebration plate.

It also has a tangy, bright, and savory dill flavor with a chewy and crisp texture. The leftovers can keep in the fridge for a few days or frozen for months.