A slight detour

I spent much of the morning lying on the couch, watching Thatboy do errands. At some point I stretched myself out and told him I should probably start thinking about going on my run. He mentioned that he would probably go surfing while I ran, so I decided to take my run to the beach with him.

My typical beach run starts in the parking lot, where there is a protected trail that runs under the super busy roadway and up alongside the cliffs beside the beach. I like the trail because I get to run beside the ocean, but without worry about getting run over by cars, blind turns, or even bikers looking to share the narrow bike line.

So you can imagine my disappointment when I saw that my trail was all closed off with orange tape and chicken-wire. "Don't worry," Thatboy told me - "There's a detour on the other side of the parking lot." And sure, enough -there was.

And so I started running up that hill. But I didn't get very far. Because basically, this hill, takes you RIGHT up to that busy road I was telling you about. And then stops. Where you are greeted with another helpful sign.

I'm sorry, is this sign telling me to turn around and run back down the 20 steps to the beach? Because I'm certainly not supposed to go forward, where the sidewalk is closed and there are cars racing towards me at 65 mph.

So I must be supposed to walk around the protective barrier onto the sidewalk that ends 50 ft. from where I stand at the other parking lot. I mean, I guess I could continue past that on the road - where there isn't even a bike path.......

I decided to go with the "sidewalk closed ahead" option, figuring at least it might take me farther and I'd be running against traffic, which is the safe way to do it. And maybe I could get back down to my trail. Except as I reached the top of the hill, I looked down and realized something.

I know I have very few reasons to complain when I'm out running at the beach the first week of February, but seriously, SERIOUSLY this is NOT a detour. It made what should have been an enjoyable run into a nightmare of weaving through traffic and trying to climb over fences and construction trying to figure out how to get on a trail where I could actually run. Meh.

My second detour comes in the form of food. Because as I type this, I am full to bursting from our annual Super Bowl Pizza extravaganza. It goes a little something like: Hey, we should EACH get our own pizza. And breadsticks. And chicken wings. And of course there is beer and soda involved, and usually chips - though this year we slacked a bit. I know we're not the only ones who over indulge during the big game. Nachos, potato skins, chili, beer, beer, dips, chips, beer. For many of us who have sworn to eat better in 2011, Superbowl Sunday is just a blimp, a little detour before we return to our healthier eating habits. And after overindulging, I'm usually in the mood for something lighter for a good long time. Lighter like salads, bursting with fresh crispness. Lighter like soups lacking in meat. I'm a huge fan of lentil soup after a night of over-indulging. It makes me feel like I'm cleaning house. Lentils are high in both protein and fiber and while there are a million ways to prepare them, I am always partial to soup. Add some tofu in here for extra protein and heft, and I promise you won't even feel the need to overindulge.

Lentil Soup with Tofu
1 1/2 lbs tomatoes
1 cup celery, chopped
1 carrot, sliced
1 onion, chopped
1/2 green pepper, chopped
1 whole clove
1/2 lemon
7 oz tofu, drained, pressed, diced
1/2 lb lentils
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 bay leaf
salt
pepper

1. Take 1 of the tomatoes, chop and set aside.
2. Cut the rest of the tomatoes and put them with 1/2 cup water in a soup pot.
3. Add the green pepper, clove, and half of the celery, carrot, and onion. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes.
4. Strain, season with juice from 1/2 the lemon, and return to pot.
5. Add all the remaining ingredients (except tofu), along with 1 qt. of water to the pot. Return to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 40 minutes, until lentils are tender.