The Great Outdoors

This weekend was pretty full! On Friday night, we went out to a birthday dinner for our friend Jon at Gautreau's. I went to dinner at Gautreau's for my birthday almost a year ago, and I was pretty happy to go back because the food is amazing. This time I had the bay scallops appetizer, the wild mushroom pirogi's, and the chocolate terrine for dessert. Bliss!
On Saturday we went canoeing on the Okatoma River in Seminary, Ms. Seminary is about half an hour north of Hattiesburg, Ms- where I went to college. It's always nice to drive near Southern Miss, if only b/c I have an excuse to yell "Southern Mississippi To The Top!" and annoy everyone else in the vehicle. :) Canoeing was actually a lot more strenuous that I thought it would be, and I was somewhat concerned that it would screw up my energy levels for the race I ran today. Fortunately, I slept like a rock last night and woke up with plenty of energy.
Today's race was the Spillway Classic. It's a 5K trail run in Norco, La- which is about half an hour away from New Orleans. I really love this race! The first mile is actually pretty miserable b/c you run on top of the levee and it is flat and hot, but then you run down the levee, through a giant mud puddle (more on that later), and then follow a winding path through the woods that requires you to jump over roots and logs, and duck under branches and fallen trees. The water hazard varies in size, but this year it was a 2.5- so not all that hazardous, but big enough that the mud was unavoidable. The mud is fun, but my favorite part is by far the woods. I think it's because you get to dart around and jump over things- it's just a lot of fun, and more interesting than running in a straight line on a flat surface. During the run, I found myself wishing that I could do a 10K of just trails.
I was also really pleased with my time this year. You can't come close to a PR because the once you are in the woods, there is no room to pass people, and going through the mud is also really slow- but I beat my time from last year by a full minute! I also got a medal that doubles as a bottle opener, which I plan to put to good use. :)
I've spent the rest of the day being pretty low key. I took a nap and went to the grocery store, then watched a movie and made spaghetti with shrimp and clams.

What is your favorite outdoorsy activity? Mine are running, day hiking, and skiing.