My pre-race strategy for the Sweetwater 420 5K was flawless.

Since I didn’t do the first 5K Saturday morning, I decided to walk to the 420 race.  It seemed like a fantastic idea when I started; however, I failed to realize it takes a LOT longer to walk 4 miles than to run it.  The last 1/2 mile I was basically sprinting in order to make it to the start line!  No matter, it was a nice warm up.  🙂

Those Carrot Cake Overnight Oats held me over like a champ.

They haven’t posted the official times and I never actually saw a) the race begin or b) the actual start line.  I think I finished in about 28 mins – slower than my last 5K, but it was a hilly course and I’d just walked/sprinted to the start.

After finishing the race we all received a beer and a bagel.  A true breakfast of champions.

 

I just realized those of you not in the South may not be familiar with Sweetwater Brewery.  They are based out of Atlanta and they make some delicious beer – my favorite is the deliciously hoppy IPA.

Lee came out after her very successful 5K in another part of town.  It was fun to meet up and share a beverage!

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Post-post race my friends and I headed to glory that is the Dekalb Farmer’s Market to pick up ingredients for dinner.  This “market” is difficult to describe (and they don’t allow picture-taking).  In short, it is 140,000 sq feet of foodie heaven.

 

One of the many goodies to discover at the market is the cheese.

My selections:

 

• Tomme de Savoie – Good.  It was a nutty cheese, made from cow’s milk.  The cherry-filled Cabernet we opened was a bit too big for it – I’d like to try it again with a Malbec or Cotes du Rhone.
• Irish Cheddar w/ Red Wine – Delicious.  Rich cheddar.  The flavor only got better as I chewed.  It paired really well with the vino.
• Cypress Midnight Moon – Upon Matt’s recommendation, I was sure to pick up this up.  I’m a huge fan of nutty cheeses and this goat’s milk cheese hit the spot.  It was probably my favorite of the night.

 

We served these as appetizers with hummus, carrots, and pretzel chips.  I also added a hunk of the basic feta I bought to use in the burgers.

 

For the main event, Dallas and I prepped sliders to be grilled on the Big Green Egg.  His were a tasty blend of ground beef and ground pork.  Mine were lamb.

In my sliders:

• Ground lamb
• Feta cheese
• Kalamata olives
• Fresh dill
• S+P

 

I also made an impromptu tzatziki sauce with Greek yogurt, dill, mint, garlic, olive oil, and lemon + zest.

Add to that an arugula salad with cucumbers and grapefruit, grilled eggplant and sweet potato rounds… and by 10p we had a meal feast!

I was so excited I forgot to take a pic. 🙁

 

Annnnnddddd… by 11p we needed dessert.

These Chocolate Chip + Pretzel Cookie Bars by Michelle @ Brown-Eyed Baker have been saved in my Delicious bookmarks for just such an emergency.

 

 

This salty-sweet deliciousness hit the spot.  3 times.  That’s what she said. We “iced” them with honey-peanut butter (one of the best decisions I made all day).

My only complaint is that the pretzels don’t hold their crunch.  Any suggestions???

I want to do these again when I’m feeling more creative and make a few adjustments.  I’m thinking toffee or peanut butter chips or chocolate-covered pretzels…

 

Add to this a Sunday morning 3 mile run and a sunshine-filled afternoon playing ball…

…and you there you have my post-race strategy!

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What is your favorite summer drink?  Has anyone outside of Georgia heard of the Sweetwater Brewery?

Happy Tax Day to all!  May your returns be plentiful.