Whining, wine-ing, and winning

6 miles/ 1:09:26

Hot and humid, this run had it's ups and downs. I probably made it harder than it should have been by changing course mid run and opting for a more hilly 3 miles back. Had to stop to cool down a few times, which might have been avoided if I had left the house before 8 am. Whoops. But, with an average pace of 11:35/mile, I am happy that even with major hills I am still improving. That's 15 seconds/mile faster than my 5 mile run last week. The best part is, I am just running what feels god and not pushing it. I never really know how I did until I check the Garmin stats when I get home.

On a side note, I am getting a pesky ache in my hip. It isn't there when I run, but if definitely bothering me when I am standing around the house or in the kitchen. I am not sure if being in flip flops all day is helping. I should probably start looking into icing and stretching because I am 90% sure it is a hip flexor thing.

Tonight I'm looking forward to picking up some wine futures! We'll be heading up to a local winery for their annual barrel tasting event where they bring out a barrel of the each of the 10 varieties they plan on bottling at the end of the summer, with food pairing for EVERY ONE. Seriously, it is like I have died and gone to heaven because there is so much good food. And they serve the wine directly from the barrel, all you can drink. AMAZING!!!!

Last year I had such a good time and my parents had to drag me home when I wanted to stay until the last employee left. I also bought  half case of their white Field Blend (Riesling/Viognier/Muscat blend...a sweet little treat!) and a half case of Cabernet Franc, which is aging so well they still haven't released it from the barrels! Usually the longer it stays in the barrel, the more expensive and tasty it is when they release it. I think I paid around $12 a bottle (futures and DEEPLY discounted because you are taking a gamble), and anticipate it going for AT LEAST $50 a bottle when released. In the past we have gotten deals where we paid $25/bottle and when the wine was released it went for $125. WOWZA!!!!! I was the only one who took a gamble on the Cab Franc. Maybe I know more about wine futures than I lead on ;)

Until then, I am off to the Nike Outlet to spend a gift card given to me by my fabulous Boston Bride at the Boston Marathon. Mama needs some spandex! Maybe there will be other back to school treasures at the outlets as well!