Where did the last month go? Seems like it just flew by...
There's lots going on, but occupying a good chunk of my time is my training. I'm running the Austin (Half) Marathon on February 14th!
My friend from San Francisco, "S", is coming to run the half marathon with me! I'm looking forward to showing off Austin and having some one to join me in the challenge. (She ran a half marathon in the Bay Area today, by the way, and is doing another one next week with me. No sweat. Amazing.)
Which brings me to one of my favorite things about Austin -- the hike & bike trails.
There are quite a few in Austin, but my favorite is the one that circles Town Lake (aka Lady Bird Lake) and borders Zilker Park and downtown. It's beautiful, free, and always full of friendly joggers, families, strollers, and bicycles. (Honestly, with the pedestrian volume, there isn't much room for the bikes, and I wouldn't recommend it as a bike path.)
You can drive to one of several parking lots situated just off the trail (near MoPac, Austin HS, S. Lamar St., S. 1st St.), but from my house, there are endless mileage possibilities. Two, four, ten miles, all a stone's throw from my front door. Glorious.
I came across a list of "runner's commandments," today, and several got a nod and a laugh from this newbie runner. Here are a few of my favorites:
1. Don’t be a whiner. Nobody likes a whiner, not even other whiners.
This aligns pretty nicely with my competitive cycling rules, too. Hamstrings sore? Feeling tired? Six miles too far? Path too crowded? Quit yer whinin'.
2. Walking out the door is often the toughest part of a run.
AMEN.
9. Don’t compare yourself to other runners.
By far, one of my biggest challenges. When I see runners who are faster, sleeker, or wearing cooler gear than I am, I tend to get jealous. When I see runners who are slower or wearing cotton (scoff), I get judgy. That's GOTTA stop. I run for ME, not anyone else.
10. All runners are equal, some are just faster than others.
As if I didn't think otherwise! Oh, yeah... see above.
11. Keep in mind that the later in the day it gets, the more likely it is that you won’t run.
All I can do is burst out laughing when I read this. Who has been on the treadmill at the gym at 11pm at night? Guilty.
16. A bad day of running still beats a good day at work.
Well, I don't know about that. A good day at work can be pretty damn amazing. But so can any run after a bad day at work.
19. Don’t always run alone.
Working on it. I swear. Anyone know of a good (slowish) running group in town?
24. Races aren’t just for those who can run fast.
Case in point.
52. Running is simple. Don’t make it complicated.
Indeed, one of my favorite things about this sport.
Wish me luck next week. 13.1 miles feels like an awfully long run...
Welcome winter.
When I got up to go to yoga this morning, I checked the weather. 18 degrees. It's not much compared to other parts of the country, but still -- COLD!
I tried to spare my flip-flop clad feet from the air by jogging out to my car as quickly as I could, but I didn't anticipate the amount of time I'd need to scrape my windows -- all covered in ice. (My $1 IKEA squeegee came in handy). It was so surprising, I had to take a few quick shots:
In the car, I could see my breath and the windshield wiper fluid was, of course, frozen. I had to roll down my window to see to the left side of my car. Bizarre.
Later, I was reluctant to leave the warm yoga studio, but I got myself out of there and went to buy some gas. The bucket of window washing fluid was frozen.
While I was pumping gas, I heard a strange noise, looked up, and saw a gas station attendant shoveling giant piles of ice out of the car wash. And there were giant icicles hanging on the entrance sign! Cracked me up.
Stay warm, everyone.
Crispy Tortilla Eggs with Avocado and Lime
So delicious!
This is the perfect quick dish -- I made it in less than 15 minutes. When it's 25 degrees outside (in Central Texas, no less), there is nothing like some homey, easy-to-make breakfast food to tame your hunger and help you forget about the chilly weather.
A few tips:
The recipe is easily adapted to serve more or less people -- just change the number of eggs. For my single serving, I still fried two tortillas. (Who could resist?)
Stale tortillas are key -- they will crisp better than fresh ones.
I used salsa from a jar, light sour cream, avocado, and jack cheese. Forgot the lime, but it was still delish!
Sorry to neglect the blog. I need to update more often, and hope to do so whenever I have the chance this year -- even if it's just a quick one.
My brother and I pledged to go "meat free" in January. He initially encouraged me to try it for December, but then he planned a trip to Austin and I warned him that vegetarians can't eat at the Salt Lick, Maria's Taco Express, or many other fine establishments in this Texas city. So we postponed til the New Year.
Here's an update on how it's going so far.
January 1, 2010: Day 1
I completely forget about my pledge and eat bacon at New Year's Day brunch (so delicious!). Damn. I pledge to go meat free an extra day, because of my slip-up.
January 4, 2010: Day 3
I forget about my pledge, yet again, and have soup for lunch. Chicken gumbo. Damn.
January 5, 2010: Day 3
Hit the web for recipes and then do a big trip to the grocery store to stock up on meat-free items.
Tool numero uno:The Ultimatest Grocery List.
The vegetarian version is excellent, even if you aren't a vegetarian! Lots of produce and yummy grains.
Tool numero dos: Recipes.
I get a weekly email from American Public Media's Splendid Kitchen and Tori Ritchie's Tuesday Recipe.
Tool numero tres: Patience.
I hate shopping in a grocery store I don't know, but I think I've finally figured out the H-E-B near work.
I attempted to "whip up" a few things last night. Problem is, while I can follow a recipe, it takes me forever. Prep time: 16 minutes. OR SO THEY CLAIM! I need to remember to DOUBLE the amount of time stated on the recipe, because that's how long it will take me.
Let's start with Emeril's Black Bean Cakes!
Sounds delicious right?
First off, the prep is NOT 16 minutes. It's more like 30. When they put "two cans of rinsed black beans," I don't think they are factoring the can-opening and bean-rinsing into the recipe. Silly chefs.
First you saute some onions, then chop some parsley, rinse those dang beans, make an elaborate creole spice mixture, and on and on. The first problem: the bean mixture looks like poop.
Second problem: you have to shape this stuff into patties. Mm. Kinda gross. Then you fry 'em up. I don't know what I did wrong, but the patties looked like they were made of something besides beans, and the patties kind of fell apart in the pan. Whoops. I'm sparing you the pictures, and instead showing you my jar of cumin: mmmm, cumin.
They looked gross, but tasted delicious, especially with salsa and sour cream! Give it a try. Hope you have better luck than me.
Then, I couldn't help myself, and followed up with Chocolate Chip Meringues.
Delicious! Easy! Fast! (Even without a handmixer!) Highly recommended.
That's all for now. Happy 2010!
Gruene. Sounds like "green." (Not "groo-een.") A little town nestled next to New Braunfels, it's got a lot of the same historic character and charm as Fredericksburg.
My friend "B" (like me, a cyclist and a recent California transplant) and I, along with 1800+ other cyclists, took over Gruene for the day to participate in the Tour de Gruene.
The tour gained fame last year, when Lance Armstrong (a Texas native and Austin resident, for those of you not in the know) entered and won the individual time trial. Neighboring New Braunfels also plays host to Wurst Fest, a sausage festival, a big draw to foodies and athletes alike.
With the choice of an individual time trial, two-person time trial, or a leisurely 15, 30, or 50-mile ride, they was plenty to choose from. As we drove into town, bicycle-toting cars were backed up all the way out to the Farm-to-Market road (that's a county road, in California-speak).
We missed the roll out because we were among the many who had chosen to register on the day-of. No worries... just out for a fun ride. (More so for "B" than for me -- I hadn't ridden my bike in two months!)
The route was mostly flat (with some good rollers), low-traffic (the cars we did see were very friendly!), and well-supported. "Relaxation stations" were located every 10 miles or so, stocked with snacks, drinks, and the requisite port-o-potty or two. "B" graciously rode at my pace and I can feel those 50 miles today, I tell ya.
Lunch at the Gruene River Grill with some of "B's" cycling buddies from the Texas gulf coast rounded out the day nicely!
Back in Austin...
I don't think a year has gone by when I didn't carve a pumpkin -- really! Doesn't matter where I am, it really makes the Halloween holiday special for me.
Here's my spooky bowl of candy for trick-or-treaters...
Unfortunately, none came. Still, gotta be prepared!
Here's my pumpkin:
Here's my costume:
I got dressed up but the costume business, like the candy, was kind of a bust. I'd tried to arrange a people-watching trip to downtown with my Central Market "friends," but they never got back to me.
I decided to drive down to 6th Street on my own. 6th Street is the epicenter of Austin's Halloween celebration. The city closes down an area of downtown that's six blocks long and two blocks wide to traffic, and 30,000 to 40,000 roam the streets and pack into bars and clubs. Pretty crazy really. It was not something I'd recommend doing solo.
Lots of interesting and creative costumes, but not very much fun when you're by yourself. Next year, I'll go with a group!
Here are some shots of the 6th Street action (some my own, some courtesy of the Austin Chronicle). I loved the balloon boy, super tall grim reaper, and Where the Wild Things Are costumes.
Happy Halloween.
Before a big workout, carbs are an athlete's best friend. With a little inspiration from my family back in California (and Alice Waters' Simple Food cookbook), I whipped up some homemade pizza dough and went to town.
Before:
After:
That's right: lou pistou olives, marinated roasted tomatoes, argula, onions, and fresh mozarella. Mmm, mmm, mmm.
And a slight chance of tornadoes.
In California, this weather would be "Storm Watch 2009!"
In the rest of the country, I think this is called "normal." Welcome to Texas, eh?
