Baked goods and running, all together!

Running + donuts.  What's not to love?

As mentioned earlier this week, I made plans with my running buddy Katie to try the first annual Doughnut Day 25K, a fun run organized by a local runner who wanted to combine his love for doughnuts and running.  We were basically too curious to skip it!  We weren't quite ready for the 25K/15ish mile distance yet after our fall marathons, so we decided to do the nine-mile shortcut Jordan had created instead, with three bakery stops plotted along the way. 

I'll pause to note that he really embraced the donut theme in a wonderful way.  Check out the elevation map on his website:

Credit to Jordan Hanlon

 And, of course, no running event is complete without a course map.  This one was just a little better than usual because it had pictures of donuts to note the bakeries along the way.


Credit to Jordan Hanlon

I knew Josh would get a kick out of that map, too, so I emailed it to him.  He sent the map back, edited to show his car parked at each of the bakeries along the route.

This wouldn't be a Miles and Laurel December post if I didn't note at least once that it was really cold, right?  En route to the "starting line" at Lake Hiawatha, I drove by a sign that said it was five degrees.  Brr.  I got to the start line at nearly the same time Katie did (one minute before the 8:00 start) and stood with about 50 runners on the sidewalk.  Jordan welcomed us, said that originally only four or five of his friends had planning on doing this run with him, and laid out the guidelines and route.  Then we were off!

The first bakery was A Baker's Wife at 28th Avenue and 42nd Street, only two blocks from the start line. 

In the interest of warming up and getting our legs moving, Katie and I actually didn't go into this bakery.  We did visit with one of our club's coaches for a little bit, and one of our club's runners came up to us with a pile of fleece headbands she had made.  They even had a little extra fabric at the back...to tuck our donut money into!  Katie chose pink, I chose yellow.  They really helped keep up warmer! 

We ran a couple of miles to the next bakery: the Donut Cooperative, at 30th Ave. S. and E. 25th St.  Katie and I went into this one with a couple of other runners and learned that Jordan had negotiated a special treat for our group: a free donut and cup of coffee!  We skipped the coffee and split a holiday spice donut, which involved cardamom, cloves, nutmeg and cinnamon.  It was also fresh and warm.  Totally awesome.  You should probably go here and buy some donuts next time you have a hankering for them.

And, without further ado, I bring you the worst photo I will ever post on Miles and Laurel!

I didn't take a picture of the bakery's storefront.  I asked a fellow runner to take our photo inside, and the camera was all "WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO MAKE ME DO RIGHT NOW?" and fogged up.  All you need to know is that Katie and I were enjoying our donuts with our new headbands, and I am wearing a very safe and reflective vest.

My camera settled down later in the run.  The sun came out, and it turned into a really beautiful morning as we headed down the River Road back toward Minnehaha Park and Lake Nokomis.  The paths were in good shape, too.

(What wasn't in good shape at this point?  My stomach.  I'll take a moment to note that while the idea of a donut-themed run is an exceptional one, my stomach was definitely like "I'm not sure why you gobbled up a ball of fried dough midrun and expected to feel stellar for seven miles afterward."  I am pretty traditional on my mid-run fuel strategy and eat gels like Gu on longer runs.  Donuts are generally not part of the plan.  I don't necessarily recommend it for every run, but it was definitely fun today.)

Onward to the last bakery!

We made a quick stop at Mel-o-Glaze, which basically anchors one corner of Lake Nokomis at 28th Avenue and Nokomis Parkway. 

At this point, I wasn't interested in scarfing another donut, but I bought a gigantic triangle of pastry filled with cherry stuff to bring home and share with Josh.  I took one bite out of it to count my second midrun donut stop. 

That also means that, yes, for the second day in a row, I ran for at least five minutes carrying food in one hand.  (Friday was soup.  Saturday was donuts.  I'm slightly nervous for what today will bring.)

With a slight detour near the end of the run, Katie and I finished 10 miles.  Would I do this run again?  Who am I kidding?  Yes.  Was I glad I was ran 10 miles instead of 15?  Yes!  As many of you know, I love themed events and sometimes organize my own running routes around categories like colleges, bridges or stadiums, so this was right up my alley.  This was a very fun event to spice up the winter running season and a good way to meet up with friends and see a new route on a chilly Saturday morning. 

Big thanks to Jordan for organizing it!