New Running Shoes
His and Hers Brooks Cascadia 7s
Like the noob I was, I started running in old, old way-too-small Sauconys - a fairly little-used pair that had seen some Lindy Hop partner dancing and perhaps some hip-hop choreography over the past 8(?) years. As I neared the completion of our Couch to 5K program, I decided to invest in some new shoes - the Saucony Shadow 6000 that didn't seem too expensive, at the same shoe size I had always worn (6). I did manage to read some articles that indicated I should be ordering running shoes that were at least a half-size larger (to give your feet room), but chose, out of vanity (I like my small feet!) to ignore that advice.
Training/ Workout Summary Week of 20-26 February
Training Summary
Tuesday
4.65 miles on the treadmill - easy. 8.36 pace. Legs felt tired, even after 2 days off. Couldn't do much with inclines - halfheartedly tried with some 2-3% elevation but not for very long. Then just tried to go fast.
Wednesday
6.03 miles on the treadmill - inclines. 8.50 pace. 3 sets of 2-3, with one of these going up to 4. Legs felt better today, and ready to tackle the inclines. Had to definitely slow pace for these.
Brazen Bay Breeze Half 2012
Brazen Bay Breeze Half Start
Yes, still new to running, so I'm selecting the "fast and flat" courses to try out before getting into the more challenging trails + hills or even hillier road races. This event out by the San Leandro Marina, is the speediest of races Brazen offers, and apparently so flat and boring that hardcore trail fiends Mr. NotthatLucas and his family chose to volunteer for it rather than actually race. We were very lucky with the weather this year, since it was apparently very wet in 2011 with gale-force winds threatening to knock runners off their feet as they braved the course.
I signed up earlier in the season, and was happy that DD offered to come along, bring the Harlow, and take some photos as I ran. We got there around 7:15ish, Endorphin Dude having announced something about a Half Fanatic photo prior to starting. Though I was technically not yet in HF, this race would be my 2nd Half in under 14 days, so I qualified for entry-level "Neptune moon" status. And besides, ED said it would be ok, and who am I to argue with such a running luminary?
Beachside Coffee Bar and Kitchen
Beachside inside
Running through the park and down along the Great Highway brings us to the end of the N Judah line by design. We're usually too lazy to run back uphill through Golden Gate Park and would rather take MUNI back home. What's great about this area is that in the recent few years a number of quaint little cafes and restaurants have sprung up - Outerlands most distinctively, Trouble Coffee, and, from the owners of the venerable Java Beach Cafe - Beachside Coffe Bar & Kitchen.
My long run one beautiful January Sunday was for 13 miles. Usual course through the park, down Great Highway, but this time with the addition of a loop around Lake Merced and back up the Highway. I remember not feeling good that day. It might have been psychological. I managed to run part of a DSE 10k course and kept getting passed up by too many folks bent on their speedy 10k pace... DD was also not with me, having run his first really intense trail - Steep Ravine - with Owen on Saturday. Though miles 5-7 is when I usually hit my stride and begin to feel comfortable, I was tired and felt sluggish. At around mile 9 (I was looping Lake Merced by then), I needed to stop completely. I took a GU and drank some water and pretty soon got going again. Eventually I made it to 13.01m and headed home on MUNI.
Kaiser Half Marathon 2012
Murphy Windmill Friend - Great Hwy and Lincoln
I have to admit being nervous for the Kaiser race. I think it might have been because this was my first “big” race of the season – I hadn’t run an official Half since last November’s Quarry Turkey race. Then, I had jumped from my longest training run of 9 miles to a 13.2+ mile race. I did decently, finishing at 2:11:27 (though I had secretly hoped to come in under or around 2:10).
I had signed up for Surf City initially, which fell on the same date as the Kaiser Half. Though what was distinctive about Surf City was that the website was up and fully-featured in October, and Kaiser's remained blankly, enigmatically silent until sometime in the new year. So, chomping at the bit and wanting to have a goal to strive to match DD's Marathon on March 4th, I signed up for what I thought was going to be my first Half in Southern California on Feb 5th, 2012. And then Kaiser announced itself.
A Trip to Napa
Gorgeous Wine Country
San Francisco's proximity to the Napa Valley is another one of the zillion reasons as to why we love living in the SF Bay Area. However, DD did not choose his first marathon to run exclusively because it was in Napa. He chose it based on a friend's recommendation that it was a fast, downhill course, excellent for beginner marathoners - and it fell pretty much on a date ideal for his goal of completing a marathon before he turned the big 3-0.
Part of the training plan involved running part of the course before the Big Day (March 4th), so DD chose the weekend of his 18-miler, which also conveniently fell on the MLK Day holiday, to head up. For those of you curious about a marathon (or half) training plan, DD and I generally run at least 2 short runs during the work week (3-5 miles each), and make sure to never skip a long run on the weekends. Long runs start at 3 miles and increase by a mile or so a week. If you are marathoning, once you get up into the teens, you can drop down every other week until you reach 20 miles. After DD reaches his 20 miles, he starts a gradual 3-week taper period where weekly mileage gradually decreases to leave him in strong, tip-top shape for the main event.
Excuses
At our first-ever Turkey Trot
It's been a while, my friends (all 4 of you who may actually read this, ha!). But - I just wanted to provide an update as to where I am (still in San Francisco, thank goodness), and why I've been silent.
It hasn't been for the lack of tasty adventures. We took a trip to Florida, for the wedding of DD's younger brother, and ate at a couple of memorable restaurants (Pubbelly Sushi and Sugar Cane Raw Bar & Grill). When we're not traveling I've still been cooking during the weekends for our weekly meals, but haven't been as assiduous with documenting those attempts. We've also been eating out while in the city, but I've a backlog of photos needing to be processed and uploaded. During Porcini season, DD had been in full-forage mode, and we tried to come up with more recipes to use up the lovely mushrooms he'd been bringing home.
And so perhaps I should let on about another obsession that's taken over me - and that - oddly enough, has been this thing called running.
Hainanese Chicken Rice
Hainanese Chicken Rice
It must have been the moment that I saw Flickr friend anakorpa’s photo of Hainanese Chicken Rice from Cafe D'lite in Vancouver that the cravings began.
Hainanese Chicken Rice is one of those seminal foods that I distinctly remember from my childhood. Silky slices of tender chicken, fragrant rice, clear gingery soup and the accompanying dipping sauces -- this dish stands out as an early taste memory so pleasurable that it can make my mouth water even today.
It was a treat to go to the restaurant in Tradewinds - one of the Manila hotels in the upscale business district of Makati. Unfortunately, hardly a trace of this hotel, its restaurant or its menu can be found on the Internet today - but it existed, a while ago - back in the early 80s. I found one blog post that confirms it here - its author reminisces about the dish and her commenters also confirm the name and existence of the hotel and restaurant.
So why was Tradewinds so special? One went to Tradewinds just for the Hainanese Chicken Rice.
Sushi Endo | Osaka
Endo Sushi, Osaka
Osaka has a central wholesale fish market much like Tsukiji in Tokyo, with its own 4:15am Tuna auction. Had we known that Tsukiji would be so restricted (we should have known and watched for this after the earthquake), we would have made more of an effort to make it to Osaka's version, which seems more welcoming to tourists.
But the real reason we journeyed to the Central Fish Market was in order to visit a tiny sushi-ya that's been around for over a hundred years (est. in 1907) we had read about from Chubby Hubby, and really, how could one go wrong having sushi for breakfast right on the grounds of a fish market?
Arctic Queen Nectarine Galette
3-ingredient galette
In my quest for fast and easy desserts, I loved stumbling upon this amazing 3-ingredient recipe for a fruit galette, posted by Smith and Ratliff on Marcus Samuelsson's blog.
As I'd mentioned before, I often tend to focus on the savoury, giving short shrift to sweet things. In my family my mom and I were the cooks, my little sister (with the sweet tooth, naturally), the baker. But DD has that sweet tooth, and less of an inclination to bake, and is more like to coerce me into emerging into the dark streets in our pyjamas, in search of dessert. We luckily live by a great Gelato shoppe a scant 1/2 block away and a cafe that offers crispy waffle bits and Bi-Rite ice cream catty-corner to the Gelato shoppe.
But with this recipe there's really no excuse to not make dessert at home.
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Recent Posts
- New Running Shoes
- Training/ Workout Summary Week of 20-26 February
- Brazen Bay Breeze Half 2012
- Beachside Coffee Bar and Kitchen
- Kaiser Half Marathon 2012
- A Trip to Napa
- Excuses
- Hainanese Chicken Rice
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