My first DNS

Kinda embarrassing, but I didn’t run yesterday’s Bridge to Bridge 12k for one simple reason: I woke up late. Terrible, right? In my 5 years of running, I have not missed a race and I’m still kicking myself for the snafu. I have no idea if I hit 'off' instead of 'snooze' on my phone, or if I just didn’t hear it go off…either way, MAJOR fail. At least the registration fee went to a good cause.

I knew I needed to get at least one run in to break in the new kicks

Me likey the new color :) I was a little worried that I wouldn't get these in time, but as soon as I laced these puppies up, all was well in the world again. I love fresh cushioning! Now, what to do with my other 3 pairs...o yes, we're back to this again. Anyone know of places in SF that take old running sneakers??

I also dated them...my new sneaker process.

I took a windy loop around the neighborhood before running errands. Not quite the same as racing a 12k, but I’ll take it. On the race week agenda: Tuesday 5 miler w/the running group, maybe a short n' speedy Wednesday run, and an easy 2 miler on Saturday...just to get the legs moving.

This DNS was a fairly appropriate way to close out yet another week of firsts...

First time I realized a speedy run can be comfortable

Tuesday's 5 miler was another speedy one and I felt amazing afterward. I was in the zone and felt like I was running strong (well maybe not at the end when I was too nervous I'd trip on my own two feet since it was so dark). All this time I've been sticking to my cruising pace...I had no idea I had a speedy side that was itching to bust out!

First Giants game

Wednesday night I went to my very first Giants game...

Amazing seats. I don't think I'll be able to go to another game. I've been spoiled. Hahaha. Also, I found out that they serve amazing caramel corn at AT&T Park.

Warm, gooey, buttery, AAAAHHH!! SO GOOD!

First knife purchase

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Hi new knife!

I've been sitting on this WS gift card since I moved so when I got an email saying there was a sale on Wüsthof Classic knives, you bet I zoomed out to get one.

It's not my first Wüsthof knife, but it's the first I've purchased on my own. My o so favorite santoku knife was a gift from Jamie. I went into the store with the intent to buy the 6" chef's knife, but when I compared it to the feel of the 8", there was too big of a difference not to upgrade. The 8" just felt right (that's what she said har, har, har). Plus, why would I get a shorter knife than the one I already have?

I'm content. Best. Purchase. Ever. And yes, I'm THAT excited about a knife.

First stew-y/to be frozen and eaten later kitchen adventure

It had to be done sometime (recipe is at the end of this post)...

I was craving some Japanese curry and I figured what better time to make it than oh, you know, a Friday afternoon. That's just how I roll.

It's been awhile since I made a batch and I was worried I didn't have a pot big enough, especially with all the nuggets of deliciousness I planned on putting in it. Thankfully my pot didn't overflow and it was a successful curry afternoon. This version used a couple ingredients I had in the apartment that desperately needed to be cooked: Japanese sweet potato, mystery box carrots, kabocha squash, and (the not so perishable) frozen peas. Delish.

First time out on a Friday night (you know, out out)

I met up at a friend's for dinner before we all went to a going away party. *Note: I also had my first Morningstar Farm Chipotle Black Bean Burger and I LOVED IT.

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I think I just love all bean-y foods. It was nice and spicy, filling and had a great texture. Definitely recommend it.

The going away party was at a very interesting (to say the least) bar called Kozy Kar on Polk Street. I say interesting because there are booths/seating areas set up like the back of a van and the floor is lined with naked photos. It's kinda like the bar fell out of a scene in Boogie Nights. Very random.

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Anyway, it was a wallet-friendly bar from what my receipts tell me and cans of PBR were all over the place. I don't think I've ever seen so much PBR before!

So that was my pre-race week week of firsts. This week I'm taking it easy, getting lots of rest and taking a preemptive strike against germs. Yeah, my office is full of sickies right now and with my luck, I'll catch something this week. Ech. Oh, hey Airborne, NyQuil and water...my three best friends.

Kitchen Cabinet Curry

3/4 to 1 lb stew beef

1 tbsp flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

1/2 onion, chopped

1/2 kabocha squash, chopped

1 japanese sweet potato, chopped

1 3.5 oz package S&B Golden Curry Sauce Mix, medium hot

1 1/2 tbsp oil

2 c water

3/4 c chicken broth

1/2 c frozen peas, defrosted

2 bay leaves

Sprinkle flour, salt and pepper over beef to coat. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a 3 quart pot and add beef. Brown beef and scoop pieces onto a plate, leaving oil and brown bits in the pot. Add 1/2 tbsp oil and saute onions for 1 minute. Add squash and sweet potato and cook for 3 minutes.

Pour in 1/2 c water and cover for 5 - 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Once root vegetables start to soften, pour in the remaining liquid and bring to a boil.

One by one, stir in the sauce mix blocks until they are fully incorporated.

Add bay leaves and peas, simmer for at least 20 minutes.

Serve over rice. YUM!!

Back in action.

So you know how I was bummed last weekend about my two failed attempts at getting a 16 miler in? Well, guess I just needed the rest because last night's Sunset Run rocked. :)

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I was a little concerned since late nights at work kept me from the runs I had planned on Monday and Tuesday...how on earth was I going to survive Saturday's 18 miler without a midweek run?? Luckily I had registered for the last Sunset Run of the season. Scooted out of the office early and hoped the fog would hold out, but no such luck.

Notice something missing from this picture?? Perhaps the GGB? Yeah, that fog is no joke. It was FREEEEEZING on the Marina Green, but once we got moving I appreciated the chill. It took me awhile to get into a comfortable pace, but eventually I pulled it together and finished 5.05 miles in 47 minutes. My cough even held out for the whole run! Woooo!

How do your runs go after a mini break? Does your body appreciate the time out?

Still got it.

Today was a good day. A very good day. Let me tell you why...

My morning started at 5:30 with a wakeup call from Jamie to make sure I was up and out of the house in time. Hooray for race day!

I hopped on an empty cable car headed toward downtown and chatted with the super friendly drivers. Next thing I knew, I was on a plush shuttle bus to our half marathon start at Spreckels Lake in Golden Gate Park.

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My shuttle got me there by 7:15...a half hour before our running group planned to meet. Eventually I started to see some blue Run the City shirts congregating and made my way over. Our fearless leader snapped some group pictures, gave a motivating pep talk and off we went to our respective wave starts.

I huddled near a heat lamp until my 8:30 start...yes, heat lamp. Where else are you going to see a heat lamp and folks running around in garbage bags in the middle of July?? Love it!! Here's how the rest of the day went down:

Cruised through Golden Gate Park and felt fabulous. So fabulous I didn't realize how fast I was going until I checked my watch at the first water stop. 7:50something. Time to chillax. I ended up dropping my pace a little too much and didn't quite make all my splits. Ah well, it was close enough.

Golden Gate Park is big. Very big. It felt like we ran through there for-eh-ver. Don't get me wrong, it was a great run. I just didn't realize the first 6 miles were in the park. Ha. That'll teach me to pay attention to the course map next time!

The next 6 miles were a testament to the planning skills of the race directors. Technically, they were coordinating 3 different races (full marathon and 2 half marathons) on the same course. That takes a whole lotta skill. To minimize congestion along the race route, they had the course alternating between parallel streets so some runners would run on one street, while another batch ran another route. Check it:

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When I first looked at the map, I had no idea how that alternating course thing was going to work out. I pictured tons of runners getting confused, maybe running more or less than 13.1, pretty much disaster all over the place. I'm impressed with how smoothly things went. There was very little confusion, no real clusters of people to weave through...really great approach!

Once we hit mile 9, I started getting nervous since we were approaching the portion of the course that is known for being pretty desolate.

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Thankfully there were lots of DJs parked on corners BLASTING music and our coaches were scattered between miles 10 and 12. It's amazing what a little music and familiar faces will do to your energy level. Next thing I knew, I was hitting the splits on my pace tattoo :)

Zoomed through the next few miles, turned a corner and saw a friend that came out to cheer (yay!!) and before I knew it, we were on the Embarcadero with the finish line in sight. Full marathoners and half marathoners got split into two chutes for the finish. Looked down at my watch and kicked it into gear. Crossed the finish line in 2:03. Hells yes. Not quite 2:02, but a PR is a PR. :)

Couldn't have asked for a better race. Just a few things that stuck out for me:

1. Very well organized. Coordinating two half marathons and a full marathon with two different start times on the same course is quite a task. Having them go so smoothly that this runner didn't notice any logistical problems is amazing.
2. Finisher medals and sweat bags are reusable. You know how race medals kinda just pile up and you really don't know what to do with all of them? Mine turns into a key chain. The full marathoners' medal turns into a coaster. The bags are made of a durable material and were really easy to keep track of since you sharpie your bib number on the designated squares. I'll probably tote mine around to runs.
3. Music where and when you need it. DJs galore. Loud. Awesome.
4. Finish food: Water, Cytomax, bananas, Pirate's Booty (in like 2 or 3 flavors), a baked good I didn't take, nectarines, Bear Naked granola, Jamba Juice smoothies. So many things to choose from!
5. Only thing I'd change. All our markers went like this: 7.9, 8.9, 9.9, etc. It threw me off at first, but eventually I got used to it...it just required more brain power than I was willing to use mid-race ;)

I'd definitely recommend the 2nd half marathon to anyone looking for a moderately challenging course (the hills are gradual and pretty scattered) in the middle of the summer.

After the race friend and I met up with the running group for some mimosas and then a genius

someone of us decided tacos were in order. Not just any tacos. Nick's Crispy Tacos. The one in my neighborhood too!

Friend and I each got a Pescado taco (one Nick's way, one not) because they are clearly my new favorite.

We also sampled two others, the Carnitas (braised shredded pork in corn tortilla with pico de gallo & pinto beans) Nick's way and the Pollo Asado (grilled chicken in corn tortilla with pico de gallo & black beans). Originally we planned on splitting those last two, but they were so huge and messy.

I thought the Carnitas taco, was ok...still not as good as the Pescado. In hindsight, the Carnitas would have been better not Nick's way. I think I just don't like pinto beans with melted cheese. Anyway, it was a taco with meat. It made my belly happy either way.

Very good day. Very good day indeed :)

Skipi-dee-doo-dah

So I skipped my group run last night...mostly because of work, partly because of a headache, and partly because of tiredness. Ech.

I forced myself to stay productive on Monday after our hike and made a pasta dish I've been meaning to make for about a week now.

Campanelle with Spinach Turkey Meatballs and Mushrooms

1/2 lb campanelle, cooked according to package directions

1/4 large onion, diced

1 package mushrooms, sliced

1 clove garlic, sliced

1 tbsp olive oil

1/3 c reduced fat feta, crumbled

1 tbsp lemon zest

1 package ground turkey

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 c panko

1 tbsp black pepper

1 tsp kosher salt

1 egg

1/4 large onion, diced

1 tbsp olive oil

2 cups baby spinach, chopped

2 anchovy fillets, minced

To make the meatballs, heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a pan over medium high heat. Saute 1/4 diced onion and 2 cloves minced garlic for 1-2 minutes. Add anchovy and cook for another minute before stirring in spinach. Allow spinach to wilt and remove from heat. Set aside to cool.

Combine turkey, panko, black pepper, salt and egg in a large bowl. Mix in spinach mixture and form small balls. Place meatballs on a baking sheet and bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes.

As meatballs bake, heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a pan and saute remaining diced onion until translucent. Add sliced garlic and saute until fragrant. Stir in mushrooms and cook until mushrooms begin to soften. Stir in lemon zest, pasta and feta. Remove from heat and stir in meatballs.

SO, this recipe has been modified since my meal was a total fail. Here's what I learned:

1. In an effort to be healthier, I grabbed a package of ground turkey breast instead of just ground turkey. Now I know why I always get the ground turkey...there's just enough fat (in the already lean meat) to avoid the whole dryness issue. I really hated the fact that my meatballs turned out dry.
2. I originally envisioned a pasta bake with a white sauce that I could freeze and eat later. Um, yeah. I didn't have the ingredients to make a white sauce and obviously feta isn't a melty cheese. Baking was pointless.
3. I only put in a little lemon zest because I was nervous it would make the dish weird...no, it needed more zest.

Hopefully this modified version works out better for you!

After that major kitchen effort, I barely had the energy (or appetite) to eat my experiment. I made myself try a little sample before crashing. AAHHH bed.

Instead of eating the meal I made the night before, I opted for a salad made with the mixed greens I got from the farmers market with a side of another sweet potato chip attempt. Can you tell I really wasn't thrilled about Monday's creation? HA.

So check out my second sweet potato attempt:

1. I dropped the temperature down to 325 and checked in on the chips every few minutes
2. It took about 25 minutes for the chips to get somewhat crispy
3. There were still some dark-ish chips, but they weren't black.
4. SUCCESS!

Obviously not the same as a fried chip, but still pretty good. I wish I had taken a picture of the first attempt, but I was just so freaking disgusted by them (slash I was in a rush)! I still have 2 whole sweet potatoes to play with...I'm thinking I'll just use the mandoline attachment that turns them into fries. You can never have too many sweet potato fries ;) I wonder if they freeze well...

What would you do with extra sweet potatoes??