A-Foodin’ We Will Go November 29, 2008

Happy belated Thanksgiving, guys!  Hope it was filled with great food, friends and family, and maybe a brisk run or two.  I had originally planned to go out for a few miles yesterday, but then my alarm went off and I…just…didn’t move.  So.  Running Store Guy had advised me not to run for two weeks following my marathon, so I don’t feel so bad about taking a lazy week.  Next Monday, it’ll be back to waking up at an ungodly hour to pound out some miles in ungodly weather.  

Cassandra left a comment asking if there will be a second date between me and Mr. Marathon.  I am maybe sort of kind of possibly looking into it.  Not anytime soon; I’m looking at some summer/fall races, but for now, I just want to build up a decent base again.  I’ve lost a bit of speed, and I plan on focusing on speedwork, crosstraining, and staying injury-free for the next few months before amping up the training cycle.

I realized I forgot to mention all the interesting characters during the marathon.  There were quite a few:

1.)  The bald, buff guy in a pink tank top and tutu, carrying a wand.  He was featured in RW last month, but I forget his name.
2.)  The joggler.  He was heading out toward the turnaround point while I was coming back, and one guy looked over and yelled, “Oh, c’mon! Now you’re just showing off!”
3.)  Two guys dressed as Dr. Seuss’ Thing One and Thing Two. 
4.)  A guy who had this picture of David Hasselhoff on the back of his shirt.  He was a few steps in front of me for almost the entire race, so I ended up staring at The Hoff.  It was mesmerizing.

How come it’s always the men?  Come on, women!  I know you have crazy costumes in your closet!  I know you like to dress up!  Bring it out for your next race and make someone’s day a little more fun.

Here are some food photos from Philly because I know everyone likes to eat and gain weight vicariously through me.

 

Chocolate Onion at Reading Terminal

Pork Katsu at Shiroi Hana

Sushi at Shiroi Hana

Later that night, we headed over to Capogiro’s for some gelato, even though it was about 20 degrees out.  It was fantastic, but definitely pricey ($4+ for a small!).  The Thai coconut milk gelato was delicious!

 

Chestnut and Thai Coconut Milk

A Rainbow of Gelato

After walking around Independence Square all day Saturday (obviously, I broke the “Do Not Walk Around Sightseeing the Day Before Your Marathon” rule), Fiance and I stopped at Bonte Waffleria for some Belgian waffles. You can get various mix-ins, a la mode, topped with fruit, whatever you want.  Fiance had a pecan & dark chocolate waffle, and I ordered a white chocolate and banana waffle.  They were made fresh and came out warm, perfect for the Philadelphia weather that weekend.

 

White Chocolate and Banana Waffle

Post-marathon, we had a TERRIBLE meal at Finn McCool’s.  Everywhere we tried to go was closed, and finally we ended up at this pub, where it took more than an hour to bring out our food.  My fish was battered wayyyy too heavily, and the fries were completely soggy and limp.  It might be a decent place for a drink, but I wouldn’t recommend coming here for eats.

Unsatisfied, Fiance and I made our way back to the Reading Terminal Market.  My friends had seen a cute little patisserie tucked in a corner, so we went in search of baked goods to wash the taste of Finn McCool’s out of our mouths.  We came upon an absolute gem.

 

Flying Monkey Patisserie - What's Inside?

 

Cupcakes!

They had fairly big cupcakes, and for only $2 each!  We got “plaid on white” (chocolate cake with white frosting), chai, pistachio, and eggnog.  They were HEAVENLY.  These had sweet but subtle cream cheese frosting, much better than buttercream, which can be too sweet and too heavy for me.  The pistachio was absolutely my favorite.  We got lattes, and scarfed down all four cupcakes immediately after we bought them.

Two other restaurants I recommend are Caribou Cafe and Pietro’s.  I didn’t take any pictures because it was way too dim, but Pietro’s has fantastic pasta (so fresh!) and Caribou is just solid French cuisine.  Tell ‘em I sent you!

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I am sick of cold, leftover turkey that becomes plasticized and dry after you re-heat it.  I am sick of boring, cold turkey sandwiches, and while I love fresh-cooked turkey with crisp skin, leftovers can be pretty bland.  So this morning, I threw the leftover turkey from Thanksgiving into a turkey hash brunch. Top with a fried egg and some toast and you’re good to go.

 

Turkey Hash

 

Breaking the Yolk

Protein boost!  (Recipe)

Asphalt Officially Kicked! November 25, 2008

(First off, I need to give a shout-out to my forumites at Runner’s World, my fellow running bloggers and blog-readers who give me so much encouragement and advice and support. And a HUGE shout-out to Fiance, who is always behind me 100% of the way in everything I do.)

I had my own group of cheerleaders going into my first marathon. My posse was made up of Fiance, and 3 of my best friends from college. I wasn’t looking for a specific time – my goal was to finish, see how my body responds to the marathon distance, and focus more on strategy and pace the next time around.

It was SO COLD at the start! And then, go figure, I had to pee 2 miles in (There Goes My Time, Part I). Around Mile 6, my Garmin died, leaving me with no idea of my pace, so I ran conservatively by feel. We ran past Independence Hall and the National Constitution Center, we ran past University Village where frat boys were out on their lawn banging on pots and pans for us, we ran by the Philly Zoo which had hung a banner declaring “The Philadelphia Zoo Loves Runners!” 

The “rolling hills” were brutal for a Midwestern girl like me, and we were forced to slowly walk through the water stations because all the spilt water had frozen on the ground (There Goes My Time, Part II). People were slipping and sliding, and I had to gingerly tiptoe my way across. It was a beautiful day for running though, and I ran on, knowing my friends were waiting for me at the half-marathon mark.

It was slightly discouraging to know that all the halfers were done and I still had to run another half marathon, but seeing Fiance and my friends screaming for me gave me such an energy boost. See my goofy, still-energetic self below:

 

Halfway Done!

Us marathoners chugged on. Now, I’d met Bart Yasso at the expo the night before and told him that being from flat, FLAT Chicago, I was afraid of the hills. He told me there would be a hill at Mile 14 but that I wouldn’t even notice. Well…Bart Yasso is the nicest guy, but a FUCKING LIAR because I cursed my way up that entire mountain!  At the top, an elderly gentleman was saying, “Let’s go, runners! It’s downhill from here!” I pointed at him and yelled, “Is that true? Is it downhill? Don’t lie to me, dude!” He chuckled and reassured me there would be no more big hills. 

At Mile 15, the course does an out-and-back. It was pretty desolate along the river and I distracted myself by watching the pain on the faces of the runners already looping back toward the finish. What can I say? Misery loves company! 

It picked up once we got to Manayunk – it seemed like the entire town came out to yell and scream and cheer for us. There was a beer station, people were passing out brownie bits and gels and lined up all down the sidewalks, they were AMAZING. At Mile 21 stood two guys with a pan of – what else – BACON!   I was so exhausted and maybe slightly delirious at that point. I sprinted over, waving my arms and yelling, “I FUCKING LOVE BACON!” like a madwoman, and shoved a handful of bacon in my mouth. 

Two of my friends were waiting for me at Mile 22. They jumped in and ran a bit with me, hooting and hollering and doing the YMCA to the music blasting in the background. After a few yards, they left me with screams of “Any idiot can run another 4 miles!” and I ran on. I never hit the wall, but my muscles were so tight and exhausted, my back hurt, my hips hurt, my neck hurt.

I started playing mindgames with myself, saying I would run to that stoplight, and when I got there, I would tell myself to run to that storage house over there, and so on. I was TIRED, but every step took me that much closer to the finish line. It felt like I was running so slowly, but I was still running and I wasn’t about to stop.

The moment I saw the Art Museum appear out of the corner of my eye was the most relief-filled moment of my life. I wasn’t sure if they would make us loop like they did with the halfers, so the moment I saw the sign declaring “Mile 26,” I grit my teeth and sprinted as hard I could at that point toward the finish line. When I crossed, I was too exhausted to even contemplate what I’d just done; I just wanted a hot bath! Without a Garmin, I have no idea what my mile splits were like, but I crossed the finish line with a chip time of 4:35:06. Fine with me, the higher the time, the better chance to PR next time around.

 

Finally! I Can Stop Running!

I’m sore today, but not as sore I thought I would be. Half of me is wiping my hands clean of the whole marathon business. The other half has already forgotten about the sheer exhaustion and pain and is already plotting for the next training cycle.  As the saying goes…”Why do I keep hitting myself with a hammer? Because it feels so damn good when I stop.

 

Rocky Kicked Asphalt!

(And of course…food report to come later!)

So, Did I Mention I’m Running a Marathon? November 19, 2008

Ohmygod, you guys, I have this totally hot date on Sunday with Marathon and I am sooooo nervous.  Like, we’ve been flirting like crazy for like 3 or 4 months, and I really really like him but I just don’t know!  We’ve been getting along for the most part, but I’m not totally sure I’m ready for this level of commitment.  I’ve already invested so much in him, but what if it doesn’t work out between us?  What if I see him and he’s totally not who I thought he was?  What if everything he’s told me – I’m strong!  I can run 26.2 miles! - is a total lie?  What if that’s what he tells all the girls?  It’s crazy, every time I think about him I get these butterflies in my stomach, I get tingles up my spine.  I mean, maybe he’s not The One for me, but…that’s gotta mean something, right?  Right?  You guys???

*   *   *

I have this strong urge to tell everyone I meet that I’m running a marathon this weekend.  I’ve been refraining because I don’t want to sound like I’m bragging, I don’t want to be THAT GIRL, but this is the kind of dialogue going through my head:

Coworker: Hey, what’re you having for lunch?
Me:  Pasta, because I’m carb-loading for my MARATHON.

Coworker:  I’m going to Starbucks, do you want anything?
Me:  No, I’m drinking water because I’m hydrating for my MARATHON.

Coworker:  Cute shoes!
Me:  Thanks!  I’m wearing flats because I’m saving my feet for my MARATHON this weekend.

Coworker:  So how’s the–
Me:  I’M RUNNING A MARATHON!  ME ME ME!  MARATHON MARATHON MARATHON!

It’s probably really good for everyone around me that this is my only week of taper.

It’s On November 15, 2008

39 degrees, feels like 31.
15 mph winds, gusting to 22 mph.
18 miles in 2:55.
Belated taper starts now.  

Philadelphia, I’ll see you in a week.

The Tao of Tights November 9, 2008

I wore my running tights this morning.

It was about 30 degrees and windy, with a light, misting rain, and I finally broke out my favorite pair of Underarmour running tights.  I love how I feel when I put on a pair of running tights – everyone owns a pair of shorts they can throw on to jog around the block, but to own a pair of running tights puts you in a completely different league.  (Or it just means you live in California/New Mexico/Arizona/the South.)  Owning a pair of running tights means you shun the treadmill and indoor tracks, and voluntarily run in temperatures that would have most people whimpering for their heated blankets and chicken noodle soup.  It means you are willing to put on a pair of pants so tight that it would will squeeze the excess flab out of Michael Phelps and make Nicole Richie’s butt look big, and then go out in public.  Running tights are not for the shy and subtle – they boldly declare “I AM A RUNNER,” even if you don’t look like one, even if you’re only doing one mile today, even if that old man with the walker is outpacing you.  

To wear running tights, you better damn well believe you’re a runner.

Which leads to my update – I’m happy to report that I’m finally back on the roads!  I did 10 miles this morning, and while my feet are a bit achy, my legs are ready to spring off the asphalt.  I kept reminding myself to keep it slow, to run easy, and my Garmin would beep very low 9′s at me.  I could’ve gone further, but I hadn’t planned on running that far and had no water and no gels on me.  I’m also happy to report that despite my skepticism, Brian’s suggestion on duct tape for blisters is actually the best solution I’ve come across.  Wrap it around your arch once and you’re good to go; that baby does not go ANYWHERE once you slap it down on your foot.

Hoping to do 18 next Saturday.  Keep your fingers crossed for me.

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The Parental Units have come to town, and you know what that means – EAT FEST 2008!

 

Happy Hour Surf and Turf

 

Skirt Steak With Pomme Frites

 

Yogenfruz is Healthy - It Has Fruit

This morning after my run, the Parental Units, Fiance and I piled into a car and drove to Chinatown despite the terrible weather.  We went to Lao Szechuan, and had an insanely cheap and good meal for $60 – including an entire lobster.

 

Lobster With Ginger & Scallions

 

Braised Eggplant

Afterwards, the waiter asked if we wanted to wrap anything up.  Um…does it look like there’s anything to wrap????

 

Carnage!

And then we got our pick of dessert afterwards in a pastry shop:

 

Cake Heaven

If gluttony is a deadly sin…well…then sign me up, I guess.