Long run weekend with an added bonus!

So yesterday was my long run of 7 miles. (I'm doing the Novice I training program by Hal Higdon.) Although I was really excited to get those miles under my feet (Because I said if I didn't run 7 miles within the next two weeks I was DONE-ZO!), it was REALLY humid. Like taste in your mouth humid. No. Bueno. BLECH. But my sister the triathlete invited me to swim at Crystal lake (pictured above) with some ladies Saturday morning. Hmmm. Long run....lake swim...could be interesting...

So I did the swim. 7:30am arrival, swam for a 1/2 mile. I didn't really feel winded; I gave it about 75% because I was scared of getting tired and not being able to finish! I could tell swimming this whole week REALLY helped. I've swam everyday since Tuesday, and I've been keeping up with my running schedule. Sweet. There's a first time for everything...and it's called SUMMER TIME!

The run, well, that's another story. About 1.5 miles in my knee felt funky, and so I felt like I had to "pop it" (Crack it) like I have in the past. But it wouldn't crack. So I kept going. My husband decided to bike my run with me. This was interesting. Talking to someone the whole time was distracting and difficult all at the same time. Also, I realized how I like to be by myself, because I don't have to tell anyone right, left, straight etc, or explain why I stopped to drink water ;-) Apparently I'm at my crankiest when I'm running! But in the end we both came out smiling thank goodness. 7 miles done. Slowly. Humidity was way intense and I didn't start until 9:30, which meant the sun was pretty stinkin strong! Thankfully we finished 15 minutes before a CRAZY wind/rain storm. What are your thoughts? I tried my hardest to run it out, but I couldn't seem to get my pace up in the heat. I figure 7 miles is 7 miles, distance and endurance are what matter most, right?

Question: Do you take protein? We've started making smoothies with protein. Apparently they're good for recovery. Thoughts?