Payback time

Finally, the week is here!  Everything I've been working towards for the past couple months comes to a head in these next couple days: AP tests, finals, and the last opportunity to get a bid in time for conference.  The last one is a stretch, but with the season coming to a close, this is the time I've been waiting oh-so-patiently for.  During our workout today, that was my focus.  We set out today for a warm-up run, knowing about the 200s, 100, and 1200 we were in for.  Oddly, however, I was excited to tackle both some speed and race pace intervals.

The warm-up not only prepared me physically, but I felt that I also was able to mentally bring in my focus.  My new favorite position during warm-ups is to hang at the back of the pack.  Letting the conversation drift back to me, settling in and letting the girls pull me along, not having to talk but being able to chime in-- that is my form of relaxation.  With occasional snippets of interaction to break up short periods of meditation, I was able to move past the schoolwork and stress and gain a drive to work hard to tackle the next thing on my plate.  I guess that's one reason I love running:  it helps me compartmentalize and gives me a break from existing solely in my mind.

That was another refreshing thing about today, the way this run was almost out of body.  I finally gained an escape from the complex tangle of my overstretched thoughts.  With calculus and the Cold War and poetic devices all battling for supremacy, it was liberating to focus merely on the movement of my feet and the position of my arms, completely removed from the world of the intellectuals.  During our 200s I felt the wind hit me as I turned the curve and welcomed it rather than resisted.  It felt raw and inscrutable, contrary to how my life has felt for the last couple weeks.

In all, it was a successful workout.  But more than that, it helped relieve some of the stress I've been under.  And, as of now, I feel that my preparation for this week is adequate.  All that's left is to see how well I can perform, and I'm curious and excited to finally complete the trials I've been working towards.

In celebration of reaching the cusp of completion, I made chocolate peanut butter cookie bars!  Here's the recipe!

Ingredients (Courtesy Sugary Sweets)

• 1 cup butter, softened

• 3/4 cup brown sugar

• 1 cup sugar

• 2 eggs

• 2 Tbsp milk

• 2 tsp vanilla extract

• 2 cup flour

• 1/2 cup dark chocolate cocoa powder

• 1 tsp baking soda

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 15 oz peanut butter morsels, divided

• 1 cup Reese's pieces candies

Instructions
Beat butter and sugars for 3 minutes. Add eggs, milk and vanilla. Add in flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Mix completely. Fold in 10 oz peanut butter chips and Reese's pieces candy.
Spread dough (with fingertips) into a large cookie sheet. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 18-20 minutes. Remove and cool. Cut into 24 bars.
Melt remaining peanut butter chips according to package directions (I used the microwave at 30 second intervals). Put melted chips into a ziploc sandwich bag, snip off the corner and drizzle over cooled cookie bars. Allow to set, about 15 minutes. Enjoy!