Lofty Goals

I finally got around to cleaning out Google Reader (there were seriously 500+ posts to read. eek) and I felt a little bit better about my disappearance from the blog world. It appears that a few of you took a mini break as well! Phew!

This GR clean up also brought a bunch of New Years Resolution/Goal posts to my attention. Naturally, I went back to check out my 2010 goals...

1. Explore the world of cross-training. - ehh, I got a bike in November and rode it once before the new year. Methinks this will cross into 2011.
2. Learn to like the elliptical machine. - I think I learned to be OK with the elliptical machine. Like is a very strong word.
3. Complete Kelly's Elliptical Challenge. - fail. I think I made it a week or two, max.
4. Run a 10K. - fail. Signed up for a 12k and ended up oversleeping. D'oh!!
5. Make a big decision. - SUCCESS!! Two big decisions actually. Yay me :)
6. Take calcium supplements. - Meh. I went with adult gummy vitamins instead.
7. Log runs. - not so successful.
8. Don't stress about not blogging. - Clearly I had no problem with it in December ;p
9. Run a half marathon in 2 hours flat. - SO CLOSE! Again, carrying over to 2011
10. Try a new food item once a month. - Lost track :(

I think this is why I don't do New Year's resolutions. Ah well, there are a couple things on that list that can carry on over to my 2011 goals. Maybe this time next year, I'll be able to cross those puppies off ;)

Just a few more to add to the list:

1. Bike to work - I know it's what I got the bike for, but there's that whole riding with traffic thing. It makes me nervous. Really nervous. Ehhh.
2. Complete marathon #5 in 4:50 or less - Seriously, this will be my 3rd attempt. I've used a 4:45 pace band for the past 2 marathons and this past year was the closest I've gotten. Gotta close it out right.
3. COOK MORE! - 'nuff said.

How do you feel about making resolutions/goals? Thoughts on not meeting them?

I promise I'll get back to cooking soon. Seriously, cooking just isn't as fun when it's just for one person...and after a long day at work...and with no dishwasher. :(

The hills are alive

With the sound of thousands of Nike Women's Marathoners!!

(source)

This particular race will always have a special place in my heart since it was my very first marathon and my first visit to San Francisco. I was absolutely thrilled to cheer for some pretty awesome ladies this morning :)

Did I mention this was my first time as a cheerleader? Yeeeah.

Since I was cheering on a bunch of half marathoners (real life friends and a Twitter/blogger buddy!) and a super speedy solo marathoner, I needed to do some serious planning. Naturally, I ran to the cheering spots (gotta multi-task!) and managed to rack up 8 miles with a few pauses here and there. Not too shabby for my first post-Chicago, post-sick run.

On my way to cheering spot numero uno, I managed to see one of the first runners as she zoomed past the 4.5 mile mark.

So fast, you can barely see her! I thought it was kinda cool since I've never seen the front of the pack before :)

I veered off the course for a bit to run along the Crissy Field Promenade before cutting across to the runners' giant climb. I really really wanted to park myself at the top of this hill because I remember it being the steepest, longest, most brutal climb of the race. I also remember thinking the hill was totally worth it for the view.

Amazing. I only wish it was a clearer day!

This was also the last major incline I remember from running the race. Seriously, everything else was a speed bump compared to that monster. Three years later, I ran up a dirt path alongside the runners and it was still tough!

SO, my sign said 'Last Hill'...though, now I know I probably should have specified, last super steep hill. Some people were really not nice about it. I got called liar a bunch of times and some people were REALLY snippy. Meh? So I kept yelling 'I mean, last big, steep one!' Ah well. You win some, you lose some.

I had a tough time spotting people, but luckily I told friends what to look for and they ended up having to shout my name so I could see them!

(yeah, I braved the chill just so they could spot me and maybe so I could finally rock my gear from Chicago ;p)

Wooo! Two out of four rockstars charging it up the never ending incline!

I hung out until a little before 9am and started my run toward Lake Merced to cheer on my full marathoner buddy. I ran back down toward Crissy Field and saw more runners as they started their ascent (so many runners!).

Rocked out to the song that was stuck in my head all afternoon because someone had it on repeat at the bottom of the hill...

I might need to add it to my running mix. haha.

One hour to make it to Lake Merced...it was a tough call. Run? Cab? Take a chance w/the rerouted bus routes and then run?? I planned on running to a major street and hopping into a cab, but I managed to get to a bus stop just as one was pulling up. Sweet!

See, Lake Merced was another rough spot for me when I ran 3 years ago. It's a 4.5 mile empty stretch along the lake's perimeter and you run right next to traffic. Since it's so far out, there aren't a ton of spectators out there...and it pops up right when you need people the most - miles 19-23.5!

A friend of mine agreed to come out and cheer with me so she parked herself with a sign around mile 22 just in case I couldn't get there in time. We were equipped with water and Chomps just in case our runner needed them!

My bus dropped me off just north of the lake and I ran along the eastern side...little did I know I would be running alongside the marathoners for TWO miles. Flashbacks!!

Everyone was looking great and so strong, despite the change in weather (at this point, it started raining and the temperature dropped a little)! So many purple TNT singlets...so proud of everyone for fundraising AND rocking the challenging course :)

I eventually made it to mile 22 and we waited for speedy to come by. We saw her after awhile and it was like we were two proud mommas! She looked FABULOUS for 22 miles in...chipper and fast! We ran with her for a minute or two, but she was too fast for us...we were worried that we were slowing her down. Still waiting to see if she made her goal of 4 hours :)

Congratulations to ALL the half marathoners and marathoners!! You guys tackled some serious hills and bad weather and still looked amazing. I loved watching you all and taking a little side trip down memory lane :) Enjoy the recovery and the sweet necklace...you earned it :)

Love.

A long time ago, long before I discovered running, I had another obsession love.

I was never a great tennis player, but I enjoyed playing and that's what matters the most, right? The sound of a new can of tennis balls being opened, hearing the ball as it hits the sweet spot of my racquet, watching as a ball zips just past the top of the net...LOVE.

Jamie was so kind to bring my trusty racquet when he flew out here over Labor Day and I finally busted it out this weekend. This racquet and I go way back. 15 years ago (15?! For real?!) my mom let me take tennis lessons and I was hooked. My racquet has been with me since day one and has seen me through some pretty sweet shots as well as some teen angsty/un-sportsmanshipy moments. Note that the picture cuts of the top of the frame...many a paint chip was left on high school tennis courts. Sorry buddy, I won't beat you up anymore.

Selin and I met up late Sunday to work up a little bit of an appetite before we started on this week's mystery box dinner. It's been awhile since I last hit a ball around and boy was it frustrating trying to get back into things. I also started feeling really old. I used to be able to run and dive for shots like no one's business...now, not so much ;)

After about a half hour of hitting, we headed back to check out the contents of this week's mystery box and plan dinner. It was like a mini Iron Chef episode haha. In this week's box: Genovese basil, Fino Verde Basil, peppers, cherry tomatoes, Early Girl tomatoes, cucumbers, spinach, kale, dates and wax beans.

We brainstormed for a bit and settled on making a Kabocha Squash and Kale Risotto with a Beet and Fennel Salad. Best part about this dinner...shopping list only had 5 items on it. FIVE! And that included wine.

Kabocha Squash and Kale Risotto

1.5 c arborio rice

1 tbsp butter

1 tbsp olive oil

1.5 c kale, chopped

1/2 kabocha squash, chopped

1/2 onion, minced

6 c chicken broth, warmed

1/4 c parmesan, shredded

salt

pepper

Heat butter and olive oil in a large saucepan. Saute onion for 1 minute. Add squash and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add kale and cook covered for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Stir in rice and cook for 1 minute, making sure all grains are coated. Pour in 2 cups of chicken broth and cook until most of the liquid has been absorbed, stirring frequently. Pour in 1 cup of broth and cook until most of the liquid has been absorbed, stirring frequently. Continue until all 6 cups of broth are used.

Season lightly with salt and pepper and stir in parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.

Beet and Fennel Salad

3-4 beets, roasted and sliced

1 bulb fennel, shaved

handful wax beans, blanched and sliced

white balsamic vinegar

sheep's milk feta

Combine in a bowl and serve chilled.

Fabulous Sunday night dinner!

I woke up this morning with a very strange urge to bust out the tennis racquet again. Since I knew it would be too hot to run (and by too hot, I mean like barely 80 degrees. I'm a baby.) I packed my racquet and clothes for a post-work workout. I took note of the ball wall yesterday and was determined to put in at least 30 minutes of hitting and running time.

Um, I was surprisingly sweaty and it felt SOOO good. It's been a long time since I've done a non-running sweat sesh! To close out the evening, I hiked up my hills instead of bussing home and watched as the sun set on this wonderfully clear evening!

Tonight's dinner was an experiment with quinoa pasta. Eh.

Quinoa Pasta Salad

1 package quinoa pasta shells, cooked

1/2 english cucumber, sliced into discs and quartered

2 Early Girl tomatoes, chopped

1 green pepper, diced

8 peppadew peppers, chopped

2 links chicken sausage, cooked, sliced into discs and halved

3 tbsp basil, minced

1 clove garlic, minced

3 tbsp champagne vinegar

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1.5 tbsp olive oil

salt

pepper

Whisk basil, garlic, vinegars, olive oil, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Set aside.

Combine remaining ingredients in a large bowl and slowly pour in dressing to coat everything. Chill for 10-15 minutes before serving.

I was disappointed with this quinoa pasta thing. I love quinoa. I love corn. Both are in these little gluten free nuggets! I think they have a weird texture that I'm just not feeling. I paid close attention to them so they wouldn't overcook (the package says in big bold letters 'DO NOT OVERCOOK') and I think they're still too hard. They're funky. Blech.

I'd totally sub in regular pasta or even brown rice pasta next time because the rest of this salad ROCKS. The garlic and basil dressing AND the piquant peppadews were AWESOME. Yuuummy.

Oops I did it again

Man, the days are just zooming past me! It's hard to believe that June is almost over! So much for avoiding massive photo dump posts :\

I was pretty bummed after Jamie left last Wednesday so I tried to load up my Thursday with a nice long run and a light dinner.

I mapped a 5 mile route from my apartment (very first one!) that took me down Union Street for some fast window shopping, up that silly Fort Mason hill, along the Embarcadero, and through the Financial District where I snapped a quickie photo

I got up close and personal with the Transamerica Pyramid before heading up some monster hills through Chinatown. Yep, I failed to read the elevation chart on Mapmyrun.com (and by failed, I mean I obviously don't understand how to use it) and was greeted by a series of serious hills about 3/4 of the way through my run. WTF?

Thankfully I didn't have to dodge people in Chinatown (note to self, Chinatown is surprisingly empty around 7pm)! If only you could see my face as I stopped at this intersection...

That was only the second incline. I didn't even have the energy to take a picture of the 3 inclines to my apartment. Oy. I think the saddest part is that Jamie and I walked up those last 3 inclines...I KNEW those were there. D'oh! One day I'll share those gems with you...

After all that, I was too exhausted to even think about dinner (let alone get creative with the few grocery items I had) so I popped into the Top O' the Hill Market at the corner of Leavenworth and Union (it is in fact, located at the top of the hill). After wandering around the small market like a lost child, I walked out with some ingredients for a ghetto taco brown rice bowl. Oh my goodness. SO ghetto. You think I'm kidding? I wish I took a picture...chicken strips, brown rice, salsa, taco cheese and avocado. It was not pretty. I did grab a can of refried beans, but soon realized I didn't have a can opener. FAIL!

The market wasn't too bad...definitely pricey and there's a limited selection of food. I'd probably go there in a pinch, but one weird thing I noticed - it's always closed when I pass by? Bizarre.

My Safeway delivery was scheduled to arrive Friday afternoon and I was really excited to finally fill up my cabinets! Since I don't really trust others to pick out produce for me, I only got canned/heavy foods and pantry staples delivered. The rest I picked up on my walk home :)

First stop of the day was Cheese Plus. I'm trying not to spend a ton of money so I refrained from splurging on all their goodies. I walked out with sherry vinegar (what? I've been searching everywhere for it!), a bag of arugula and some Sabra Supremely Spicy Hummus (I've missed you!). I also found out that they do knife sharpening once a week, unfortunately it's not free :(

I found myself wandering into Real Foods next. I think this place is a little too expensive for regular groceries, but they do have a great variety of produce and food. I grabbed a couple fruits, yogurt and took note of the other interesting options they had to offer. I was surprised at how well I controlled my urges to buy!

I was really just holding out for Polk Street Produce. Ok, I have to admit that the first 3 times I walked into the store, I managed to miss ALL the fresh produce they have sitting outside. Obviously I'm a space cadet. Jamie mentioned he saw some good produce (in particular, some champagne mangoes) so I figured I'd stop in.

I grabbed some cherries, a few berries, some salad greens and toppings and headed home in time to greet the Safeway man with my goods. Woo! To celebrate, I made myself a massive salad:

I mixed some salad greens with my arugula, threw in some pickled beets (yay!), corn (double yay!), green pepper, avocado, hearts of palm and some deli chicken. Topped it off with some Brianna's Home Style Poppyseed Dressing:

SO yummy and SO not healthy. I'm usually not a creamy dressing person, but ever since I had this on a salad at Cafe Capriccio I've been hooked! It was actually a great addition to the salad :) Fabulous end to the week!

Saturday morning took me on a bus adventure to the other side of the city. Why? For a 10 mile run with the running group, of course! Our run started off at the Beach Chalet parking lot on the Great Highway at 9:30am. My morning started a little after 8 for my hour-long, 2-bus commute. Woah. It actually wasn't too bad. Now that I know how to get there, I might be able to nap next time ;) The bus stops right before the ocean!

Hey, ocean!

Oh Great Highway....we meet again. Not going to lie, I may have gotten a little choked up remembering marathon #1. *insert laughing at my nerdy sentiment here*

We headed south along the bike path and back to put in 4.5 miles before heading north on the Great Highway for an additional 5.5 through Golden Gate Park. Running along the path immediately reminded me of Saturday runs in DC/VA. It was fairly flat and quiet with a little greenery for good measure.

Running through the park - not as fun. I think it's because we stuck to a dirt path and you know how I am with unpaved paths...yeh. I also found out that we were running a very long and gradual incline to our turnaround point (the De Young). Jeebus. I don't know what happened (perhaps my gel kicked in or maybe it was the slight downhill), but a little while before the turnaround point, I got this freak burst of energy and next thing you know I'm zooming through the next 3 miles! It felt awesome! Ended up finishing in 1:42...not bad for first long run back.

I was STARVING by the time I got home and wasn't really looking forward to cooking breakfast on my own so I opted to splurge on brunch. I paid a visit to Rex Cafe since it didn't look like it would mind my post-run look. I sat at the bar, guzzled a couple glasses of water and chowed on this monster:

I got the California Omelet (avocado, jack cheese, fresh salsa, & sour cream, served with home fries & toast) because you know I love avocado. Oh, did I mention the massive side of ham I ordered? Had no idea they'd give me a giant plate with 3 slices. Dang.

I ended up only eating about 1/3 of my omelet because it was just too rich. I had no idea they'd shove a ton of avocado inside the omelet on top of the cheese...WAY too rich. I guess it's a good thing I got that side o ham. I ended up eating that with potatoes.

Walked home with the intent to be productive after my shower, but ended up vegging the rest of the day. I forgot how tired I get after the first couple long runs of training season. Useless! To counteract my ridiculous post-run meal, I made another massive salad for dinner. Yep. Had to be done.

What's your favorite post-long run meal? Favorite post-long run activity?

Toodles, DC.

Greetings from San Francisco! My last couple of days in DC were pretty frantic so I wasn't able to post as planned. Yes, I did leave some things for the absolute last minute and when V came to pick me up at 4, I was still trying to cram stuff into my luggage. Yeeh! Since the whole weekend went by so quickly, here's a brief recap:

Thursday

The very last piece of mail I received at my DC address (sad!) was a package from my sister that included these goodies:

A 2010 Zagat for San Francisco, a street map, and a fun Frommer's book of 24 walks in San Francisco. These will definitely come in handy!

Friday

Storage unit trips, g'bye lunch at the office, more storage unit trips, work at the store. Busy, busy bees! My dad and I were able to crank out a lot more than originally planned so there were only a few more items that V and old roomie had to help out with the next day. YAY! For dinner, I introduced my parents to Fresh Med in Cleveland Park.

Since I was working until 8, we rocked the delivery and did some classy dining on the floor, on couch cushions, with plastic utensils. AWESOME.

My parents split the Lamb Shish Kabab Platter (Grilled tender cubes of marinated lamb, served with hommos, house salad and rice. Served with pita.) and I went with the Chicken Platter (Grilled tender cubes of marinated boneless chicken, served with hommos, house salad and rice. Served with pita.). The hummus was a little thicker than usual, but still tasty.

A couple notes...

1) They take a really REALLY long time to deliver and the food usually ends up being room temperature to cold by the time you get it. I recommend eating there or picking it up.

2) Coworkers swear by the Steak and Cheese Sandwich (Fresh sliced philly steak served with cheese, tomato, lettuce, onion and mayo.). I've never had it, purely out of principle. It's a Mediterranean restaurant...STEAK & CHEESE? Mreh?! Someone else check it out and report back. I insist.

Saturday

No rest! We started early and had some help from V and old roomie to knock out the second to last storage unit trip. We filled that puppy to the brim! Yup, apparently Jamie and I have enough stuff to fill a 5'x10' unit. WTF?!

Afterward, my parents and I took an adventure to the Comcast drop off spot in Northeast DC. That place is not easy to find. Not at all. Once we got there, we had at least an hour of waiting in line. Apparently Saturday around 1pm is when everyone in the District takes a trip to Comcast to pay their bills and ask random questions. OMG. I wanted to scream "YOU CAN ASK THESE QUESTIONS ON THE PHONE OR ONLINE!" Yes, I have a hard time being patient.

Clearly it was a late lunch sort of day and I decided to take my parents to Eastern Market. We did a quick walk through of the South Hall Market and sat down for a bite at Market Lunch. My parents each got the Fresh Cod Platter (two battered and fried pieces of cod, cole slaw and a side of fried green tomatoes) and I sampled the North Carolina Pulled Pork BBQ Sandwich

and an order of Fried Green Tomatoes.

The sandwich was massive, but delightfully tangy and spicy. I love a good vinegary BBQ! This was my first fried green tomato experience and I kinda liked them. They were a little thicker than I expected (about 1/2" thick?)...I was thinking they would be thin tomato slices a la the kind you'd find on a burger. Anyone a fried green tomato guru??

Overall, it was a fun lunch experiment. I was bummed that most of the menu items were deep fried (did I mention I needed a food detox after all this on the go eating?) and pretty expensive in my opinion (I think it came out to $40 for the 3 of us?). I also thought there was too much BBQ in relation to my bread. I'm just saying...

After a quick jaunt through the outdoor market and a trip to Jamie's mom's house, we came back for more packing and some resting. I needed a time out so I sat on a pillow and made this fun setup:

Not really sure why I thought we could watch TV on a 13" monitor. HA. I eventually started packing again with a couple breaks to watch episodes of Glee. Yes, I know I'm way late to the party, but I kept hearing about this Madonna episode from friends so I figured I'd check it out. I love the snark and subtlety!

Sunday

While my parents were at church, I rushed to pull a last minute storage unit batch together. How do we have so much stuff?? We stopped at Cosi in Friendship Heights for breakfast on our way back from the storage unit. I haven't had Cosi breakfast in a long time and it turns out my mom has a thing for Cosi since she went to one with my sister (I guess there aren't any near my parents' house).

I tried one of their new Breakfast Wraps

The Spinach Florentine (eggs, spinach, Swiss & artichoke spread wrapped inside a warm wheat tortilla) was screaming my name and I'm pretty sure it's because it had spinach in its name.

It was ok...kinda lacking in the flavor. I poured almost half of the pepper shaker on my wrap because it needed something. I'm not even sure where that artichoke spread went. Eh. Probably won't get that again.

When my parents left, my apartment looked like this:

And the bedroom still had my bed AND clothes in it. Bad news. It was not easy to find motivation to sort and pack my clothes. Instead, I procrastinated (because I'm so good at it) and watched some Glee, listened to my Adios DC Playlist and did some random packing.

Too bad my playlist included songs like these that just oozed memories:

Concrete Schoolyard - Jurassic 5

Born Slippy - Underworld

Sandstorm - Darude

Scarlet Begonias - Sublime

Out There and Back - Paul van Dyk

The District Sleeps Alone Tonight - The Postal Service

Talk Shows on Mute - Incubus

You Were Mine - Dixie Chicks

Crush on You - Lil' Kim

Cafe Del Mar - Paul Oakenfold

Each of these songs, and the rest on my 2 CD set, remind me of people, places and events. Do any songs trigger vivid memories for you?

Low productivity. Shame on me.

I did dinner at Great Wall Szechuan House with friends and old roomie. Perfect end to the weekend and my time in DC. We ate family style, as usual, and split some Baby Bok Choy (for my green veg requirement), Ma La Double Cooked Pork, Ma La Mapo Tofu and Chicken with Black Bean Sauce. Since we tend to be repeat offenders, you can see pics here. Just know the baby bok choy isn't on the menu, but worth getting. The chicken was tasty, but the texture was a little too slimy.

Stay tuned for my first day in SF!