Watermelon and Cucumber Salad

I fall into the same category with a lot of people who do something active on a regular basis in that if I miss one day, two days, or heaven forbid THREE days I feel like I have lost all my gains, I am fat, slow, etc. I realize that just like I didn't get in shape in three days I can't lose it in three and rest days are extremely important- just sharing a bit of my crazy. So on my "rest day" today I went for a 5 mile run with my peanut in her jogger. People can bash CrossFit and injuries all they want, but my knees plagued me today on what used to be considered a short run due to my years of running marathons and the training that entails. I am obviously not an expert, but I think CrossFit's use of a variety of movements versus running's perpetual same stride movement is the issue. Yes, I did interval training while I ran, but usually, like most runners, I did my 5, 10, 20 mile runs at the same speed and the same running gate and that constant pounding has done some damage to my knees. I will add that weight training and strengthening my legs has definitely helped my knees not ache so much. I really don't want to bash running because it was so much a part of my life with training, coaching, and my family- I am just now wishing maybe I should have been doing some strength training back then so I wouldn't have this problem today!

For my mom's 50th birthday she wanted to run a marathon... so here is us running the Chicago Marathon the year it was cancelled mid-race due to extreme heat and no water on the course... but we finished then and did Chicago two more times. :) 

I don't particularly love watermelon, but my child does so I had some hanging around the house and I thought I would try and make a light snack with it- turns out feta and watermelon is fantastic and the cucumber just gives a different texture. There are not measurements with the "dressing" because it needs to be done just before eating, or per bowl, or else the color and taste are just, well, not good.

Watermelon and Cucumber Salad

- 1/4 Large Seedless Watermelon, or 1/2 a small, cut into 1 inch chunks

- 1 English Cucumber, halved and diced into bite-sized pieces

- Fresh Basil

- Balsamic Vinegar

- Olive Oil

- Feta Cheese

- Black Pepper

1. Toss the cucumber and watermelon together. 

2. When you are ready to eat- In serving sizes of about 1heaping cup of the watermelon and cucumber, add 2 tsp (ish) of vinegar, a drizzle of olive oil, a sprinkling of feta, fresh pepper and some fresh basil (chiffonade.) Toss and enjoy!