Virginia Wine Country Half Recap and a Healthy Pineapple Dessert Recipe!

Yesterday was the Virginia Wine Country Half Marathon, and, if you saw my post from a few days ago, you know I did not train for this race and knew I wasn't fully prepared going into it.  So, it's not surprising that it was a slow race, but that's okay because I still finished and felt great at the end.  (I didn't even have any knee pain after all of the hills!)



It was a little warmer than I expected and a lot more of muddy gravel/dirt roads than I had anticipated but I had a great time.  It was such a beautiful setting for a run, the green trees and fields, the quiet of being out in the country, there were even a few deer that ran through our course around miles 9/10.

When I was finished, I did a little stretching, took a couple of pictures, and then we headed over to pick up our wine glasses for the wine tasting (I did sit down and take a few minutes to take off my calf compression sleeves, there was no need to increase that terrible tan line while we were enjoying the wine festival).

I thought for sure that when I woke up today I would be feeling pretty sore from running 13.1 miles without training for it, but thankfully, I feel great.  I even took my bike out on the trails today for an hour. :)

After my bike ride, I tried out a new creation as a treat.  If you've ever been to Disney World, I'm sure you've had a delicious Dole Whip (if you haven't, add it to your list of things that must happen soon), now, this isn't nearly as tasty as that, but it's a great healthy quick alternative.  Here's a picture of the finished product and below are directions on how easy it is to make:

What you will need:

• Fresh Pineapple (I used about half of a pineapple since this was my first attempt and I didn't want to make a large batch in case it wasn't a success);
• 1/2 cup of Milk of your choice (I used Rice Milk);
• High Powered Blender (I use a Vitamix)

1. Cut up your pineapple into cubes about an inch or smaller and put them in the freezer - freeze them overnight or at least for several hours (I froze mine for about 3 hours and it probably should have stayed in the freezer a bit longer);
2. Combine your frozen pineapple and 1/2 of rice milk (or milk of your choice) in your blender and blend the two together (be sure to continually push the pineapple down the sides to blend it evenly);
3. Once your pineapple and milk have blended together, spoon the mixture into a bowl and enjoy!

It was the perfect cold snack after I got back from my bike ride.  Give it a try and let me know what you think!