falafel for your friday

first i want to say thank you all so much for your comments on my post yesterday. i'm not sure what direction i'm going and things around here probably won't change too much (noticeably anyway) but my hope is that things in my head change. change your brain, as some might say (alex - that one's for you). your comments and support mean the world to me and it reaffirmed what i knew all along - that i definitely don't want to give up blogging. i'd miss it, and you all, way too much. 

now, it's friday. IT'S FRIDAY! for some reason whenever i have short weeks, they always feel about a million times longer than a normal week. i think it has something to do with my own expectations. i feel like the week should go by super fast and then in reality it drags along at a snail's pace. i don't have much in me in terms of coherent post content, so here goes a brain dump...

falafel is so good. this recipe is my absolute favorite. i first made this about a year ago when i had friends over for dinner and a few of them were vegetarian. at the time, i wasn't super into anything meatless but i did love fried things, so i thought falafel could be a crowd pleaser for everyone. i've made it a bunch of times since. it's super easy, not crumbly (like some recipes can be) and packed with flavor. i love the cilantro in this and the tahini recipe is also a revelation. i added cayenne to the tahini and extra red pepper flakes to the falafel because i like it spicy and i've been eating it on top of salads and with pitas this week. 

i've been working really hard to get my runs in outside because i know training outside is better for me when it comes to prepping for a race. i get really nervous about running by myself in the dark because, though my neighborhood isn't awful, it's better to be safe than sorry. yesterday i was debating chancing an after sunset run when i read the arlington news on twitter and decided that it would be best to take my run to the treadmill. 

don't worry, i got plenty sweaty while doing it. that's because my apartment complex gym has tiny windows that let in no air and heating vents that blast heat. combine these two things and that's how you turn a three mile run into a trip to the sauna. 

speaking of three mile runs, i've been really liking my shorter runs for half training. i've never incorporated speed work into training before and so i'm enjoying having short more explosive runs during the week. who knows if i'll actually get any faster but it's worth a shot.

i woke up this morning with a horrible headache - actually i have everyday this week...i think i might be clenching my jaw in my sleep or something - so today could be a long one, but once it's over i've got a whole weekend ahead of me with some exciting running dates, blend meetups, dinner dates and lots of sleep. couldn't ask for anything better.

<3