Here's a recipe for you.

It's Thursday, which means I'm posting my Runners Lounge Take it and Run Thursday submission. Today's theme is Gimme Food!

So, herewith, I shall share a favorite recipe. Not a pre-run snack or a post-race meal. Just an every day snack. A healthy treat, you could say.

Sun-dried Tomato Dip*

1/3c. Sun-dried tomatoes
1 package Neufchatel (low-fat cream cheese) softened
3/4c. non-fat yogurt
1/4c. mayonnaise
3 scallions
Kosher salt, hot sauce, pepper -- to taste

Put all ingredients, except for the scallions, in a food processor and puree. Add scallions and pulse two or three times until well mixed. Serve with carrot sticks, celery, pepper sticks and multi-grain melba toasts.

YUMMY -- and low-fat!

*Based on the dip of the same name from the Barefoot Contessa cookbook -- I've altered it to make it low-fat.

Where's my A stuff?

Runners, as CoffeeBetsy so aptly put it, go running anyway. Meaning, even under less than ideal circumstances.

Like this evening, for example. It was H. O. T. today, still very much so when I wanted to head out for a run around 5:45. So, I went to Plan B and made dinner early and went for a run as Owen was putting Conal to bed at 7:45.

It kinda sucked. I felt all squoogy and just off. I slowed down, pulled back to a mere jog and decided that tonight's run would be more about just getting out there. The neighborhood was peaceful and I felt peaceful jogging at my slower pace.

And then something happened. As I was listening to the crickets, the birds and the frogs, I started to feel good. Then, great. I was feeling great! So great, in fact, that I picked up the pace. Still great. I picked it up a little more -- great. I sped up the hill in one of the cul-de-sacs and as I crested it, I still felt great.

I kept up the pace through the flat stretch and then pushed it up the next hill. I passed a woman walking with hand weights and we exchanged pleasantries. I had fleet feet and I sprinted down the other side of the hill, landing lightly, and ran strong over the rest of the route.

As I finished my run, I thought of this: Sometimes you go out there and you just don't have your A stuff. You might even be working with only a solid C. But you go out there anyway and, before you know it, you've got B stuff and a few minutes later, there you are. Enjoying an A+ run. You found your A stuff along the way.

Friends, this run was awesome.

And now, for a push up challenge update . . .

Today started with 22. Then 17/17/15/20 for a total of 91 push ups. 91! Holy crow...

It pays to share.

I shared a tip on Runners Lounge a few weeks ago. Nothing big, just a simple little tip that has made my running life better. For doing so, I was entered in a drawing for a give-away that the site was hosting. As luck would have it, I won!

The Drymax® Thin Mesh Mini Crew Socks were mine and I am better for having them to run in. I've worn them on a few recent runs and they are pretty awesome, I must say. I've been a Thorlo gal for a while and I thought I really liked those socks, but these Drymax do what they say they will: They keep your sweaty feet dry! They also fit well and they didn't bunch up or wrinkle at all during my runs. They are my new favorite socks. Thanks, Amy!

Push Up Update: Week 3 May Kill Me

I started Week 3 of the 100 Push Up Challenge today. As in, sets of: 20/15/15/13/20, for a total of 83 push ups this morning. I did them all. However . . . this week may be the end of me.

Tips. Really great tips.

A few days ago, I posted a question over at Marathon Mommies. If you recall, I ran a 5K in June after which my reward was a big, honking migraine. Since then, I've been a little nervous every time I've gone for a run in hot weather. I don't want to go through the pain again.

So, I asked the marathon mommies for advice. They gave me some great tips, many of which were so simple and yet so wise:

• Hydrate. Well, yeah. It is so basic, I know. But, I'm not the best hydrator. Hydrater? Not sure. Anyway, I know I need to drink more water (in fact, I made it a post-vacation goal). I've always felt like I drink enough before races but maybe I don't. I know one thing: I am going to drink more!
• Wear sunglasses. Wow. I guess squinting in the sun for 3.1 miles isn't the best thing for someone prone to migraines, huh? I'm now running with sunglasses and it is a different experience. I feel less stress in the head -- why didn't this occur to me, oh say, 10 years ago?
• Stretch the neck and shoulder area. Another thing I'm not great about doing. I probably tense up in that area and will now make a conscious effort not to.

Now that I've incorporated these tips into my routine, I'll be able to run with more confidence on those hot, humid days (which, it seems, are every day recently). I thank the marathon mommies for that!

Other ideas are welcome, too. Do you have any advice to ward off post-race (or other hard exercise) headaches? If so, please drop a comment and share.

And if anyone has any good suggestions for how to keep sunglasses from fogging up during a run, I'd love to hear them! This fogginess is bad...