Today’s run: 4.65 miles, 53 minutes. YT: 22.45. When I see Japanese men of a certain age on my run, as I did today, I like to imagine that Murakami has sent a manifestation to usher me down the path. As I ran home, stainless steel pot man, wearing a shiny Angels jacket and carrying a briefcase and lunchbox, was making slow progress down the sidewalk near his house, stopping every few yards to turn and confront an imaginary irritant before moving on.

A friend recently told me that he has a lot of thoughts that are too weird to say out loud – something he sometimes discovers mid-sentence. I think that may be what the italicized portion of this blog is becoming.

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I remember after I ran my first 10K – “run” being a stretch of the term – we went to a ’50s diner and had shockingly huge breakfasts. Then we went home and pretty much collapsed on the couch for the rest of the day.

These days, I have terrific energy all day after 10K runs. It’s in part being in better shape, but I also chalk it up to my awesome recovery drink. This is all I eat after a run, and I try to wait at least 2-3 hours before I have my next meal. Sometimes it’s hard, but trust me, it’s keep a spring in your step.

Note: This is not my actual green drink, but it's more or less what it looks like. I think I'll try adding mint!

GREEN RECOVERY DRINK

• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1 cup water
• 1 scoop Macro Greens (TJ’s has a similar seeming product, Green Drink Powder, that I haven’t tried yet but is half the price)
• 1 scoop Designer Whey (“research proven,” but to do what, we don’t know)
• a few ice cubes
• 1/2 cup berries or other fruit (optional; I don’t usually add fruit, but I will admit it tastes better that way)

Blenderize and drink!