Two Days, 26.2 Miles, and An Encounter With A Vegan Restaurant.

Over the last few days,  Cheryl and Mike have been training  for the upcoming Marathon.   And with the Challenges of the recent snowfall,  they were forced to split  their training into two days   Monday,  they ran 14 miles.  While yesterday,  They continued by running an additional 12.2 miles to get a full 26.2 miles.    Does it count if you split the long run up over two days?  I think so...  Distance is distance, after all...   And  skipping a recovery day has to account for something.

At least they were able to capture the nicer weather.   The temps dropped to the single digits last night.  Add in that the trail was "partly clear" on Monday...  Forcing them to run inside adds another layer of complexity.  In the end,   we all had a fairly good time and got in the miles.   What else is there to say?

Well,  I guess I could point out the things that had nothing to do with running.   Because.... let's face it,  Running is boring to those who don't, won't or can't run....But the sideshows are always fun.   And that is what I will focus on.

A slightly festive addition to the city of Davenport was the  set up of a bunch of Ice Sculptures. There were many! And even with the temps creeping up to 40 degrees, most of them remained intact.  I'm sure if they survived yesterday afternoon, they are going to be there for the rest of the week, since the temps are not supposed to climb above 24 this week.  

I liked the Ice Bar... and the throne.   If I had to guess, I would think that the Brewery funded the whole thing.  But there is also plenty of evidence that the parks and rec people might have had something to do with it.  Or maybe they just had a competition/festival and we were lucky to see the remaining models before they melted.   Either way,  I love sculptures and art.  It was a welcome distraction from the running. 

We also toured the Sky Walk in Davenport.   There really is not much to it.  I think it is a sky way over the road so people can travel safely to the riverboat casino. ( When it is there...)   I think...  I have not seen the riverboat there in a while.  Maybe it moved up the river and all that is left is this tall monstrosity..  But Cheryl and Mike seemed to have fun running up and down the gangplank like a couple of kids at Disneyland.   As for me,  I was overdressed and overheating after walking up 8 flights of stairs.  Not sure about Pam. 

And finally,   we went out to eat at some new place that Pam found online.   Mike, in order to help his training and running,  has decided to start "Eating Healthy"  ( whatever that means...)   And has set out to attempt a Vegan Eating Scheme.    The problem is that most places do not offer vegan meals.   For those who might be confused:   The difference between Vegan and Vegetarian is the political baggage that is attached to Vegans.  I could say more, but I want to avoid a rant.  

IN the mean time...  There was food.   And a HUGE menu of meals that were very similar to normal food you would eat anywhere else.   Except... here..  They were ALL vegan.  No eggs, no milk, no cheese, no animals were used or harmed or involved in any of the ingredients.  So how do they get a Hamburger to taste like a hamburger while not being made of actual hamburger?   Science!   Or something.    

Allow me to pause here for a second and note that usually the whole point of eating plants is to eat healthier that consuming lots of fats and proteins from meat.  But if the "Mystery Meat" was conceived in a Food Lab somewhere ( Perhaps China..  Those Chinese are experts at Lab creations....),  Does that make it More or Less healthy?   You be the judge.   ( Need I say:  Soylent Green! )

Normally, I beat the lab experiments, and the Political Agendas by ordering a Pizza.  Made with Olive Oil and topped with Veggys and Mushrooms, I could care less if there was no meat.  ( Or cheese?   IT should have cheese...)   But there was no Pizzas offered yesterday.   Go figure.  (Hopefully it is not Gluten Free!)

However,  the food they DID serve was edible and good.    Take out the politics, virtue signaling, and heavy handed Animal rights and the food was actually pretty good.  Aside from the lack of spices and seasoning.... and salt.   The Tomato Basil soup was fairly bland.   But the Mac and Cheese was pretty good.  ( Not really cheese... More like Tomato sauce.)  

Well, after that, we all decided the best thing to do is head out for some donuts.   Donuts:  The OPPOSITE of healthy.   I guess we all collectively felt we had to undo all that vegan detox that our systems were forced to endure.  And there are very few donuts as unhealthy and delicious as Hurts Donuts.  

Art in the Hurts Donut Shop...WW2 Bomber!

A quick sugar rush and we were all happy once again. Never underestimate  the mental cure of a good donut. And by good, I mean Bad... Very very BAD...  All that sugar and fat....Why does all the good things in life turn out to be "bad: for you.   A mystery I will Ask God someday. 

In the mean time,   We ended the day with a nice chat and said our goodbyes to the Zakoseks, as they will be heading to Florida in the next few days.  Let that be a lesson to all of you... This is what happens when you retire early.    Spending your winters in Florida.. Playing shuffle board in the sunshine and salty air all day.  Fishing in the ocean, exploring the sites, golfing, swimming, beach combing....  Yeah, Sounds pretty grim, doesn't it.  

But I guess Mike will be training in the heat.   Running in the high humidity while dodging Hurricanes and baby sea turtles.  ( The turtles lay their eggs on the beach to hatch and ruin beach experience....Or so I hear.)  Cheryl and I will continue to plow our way through the snow and ice and cold and wind and financial uncertainty of being non-retired folks.  Because,  we like to do things the hard way.  And avoid Baby Sea turtles on our runs.  

I finally almost capture an Eagle!

Ok,  This post is long enough so I better end it now.   I knew it would be, that is why I did not blog yesterday.  Hope everyone is having a fine week so far.  And hopefully you will be able to endure the cold snap that Mother Nature has thrown our way.    It won't last long... hopefully.   Thanks for stopping in.