Garbanzo Been Salad

Last night I went for my normal nightly run. Except this one wasn't normal at all, for me at least, my legs felt like cinder blocks were tied to them, like my sneakers had been cast out of concrete, every step seemed to take twice as long. It was terrible. This very rarely happens to me. Every once in a while distance runners just have bad runs, it's part of the process, but having a bad run never gets any easier to take. Every bad run leads to a myriad of psychological whats and whys. Why do my legs hurt, why am I two minutes behind pace, why do my joints ache? Anyway, it was hot, about 81 degrees when I left the house at 6:00, I don't think it was the heat, I was just having "a bad run." As I was heading into the last few miles of my run, obviously in a bad mood, I felt something wet fall on my hand; my first thought was, great a bird just shit on me, but then, in another few feet I felt another drop on my leg. Knowing that it was not a possibility that a bird was following me down the street and shitting on me I realized that it was sprinkling. There are few things better than a sun shower when it is hot and humid outside. As I ran down the street enjoying the sprinkles, I looked up and to the right and noticed a wonderful rainbow. Few things can cause people to just stop, look to the heavens and smile like a rainbow. As I ran past walkers and bikers going in the opposite direction, we all alerted each other to the rainbow, not wanting anyone to miss its beauty. From that point on I had a little more pep in my step, and a smile on my face, thankful that even though my run was terrible, I didn't stop, which meant that I didn't miss the rainbow.

Garbanzo Bean Salad
2 15oz can garbanzo beans drained and rinsed
3 tbs white wine vinegar
3 tbs olive oil
1 jar roasted red peppers drained and chopped
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and chopped into 1 inch pieces.
1 jar artichoke hearts drained and chopped
1 bunch fresh parsley coarsely chopped
1 bunch fresh mint coarsely chopped
1/4 red onion finely chopped
3 oz low fat feta crumbled
salt and pepper

Combine all ingredients together. The tastes better if the ingredient sit over night and the flavors meld, but can be enjoyed right away.