Have you ever had one of those weeks where each day runs into the next without a break? Even though your head technically hits the pillow for a few hours, your mind screams with to-do lists. You wake up, and instead of feeling refreshed, your heart is pounding and your brain is already planning six moves ahead.
Last week was one of those weeks for me. I got through each day purely on adrenaline. Nothing terrible happened. Work was busy, but completely tolerable. There was just enough stuff going on outside of normal work hours that I felt like I couldn't stop. All week long, I was humming, "Just keep swimming, just keep swimming." Wake up at 5am, busy until midnight, repeat.
I was lucky to have finished the bulk of my to-do lists by Friday at 5pm. I was ready for my mind to settle down and go into weekend-mode. What better way is there to settle your brain than with a nice, hoppy IPA and a beer-buddy?
I haven't posted about a specific beer in a long time, but Schmaltz Hop Manna inspired me get writing. Sarah and I met Aaron at Highland Kitchen on Friday evening. They had a special of Buttermilk Fried Chicken Wings and their Beer of the Moment was Hop Manna. We also ordered Ricotta and Mozzarella Fritters.
I felt like I was cheating on my husband. Cheese and fried chicken are two of Vick's favorite foods. And while he doesn't care for beer all that much, it felt sort of mean to be imbibing while he was at home, walking and feeding the dogs. The cold, refreshing taste of hoppy beer went down so easily, and it didn't fill me up. So, even though I felt guilty, I could keep eating fried cheese and chicken. What's a wife to do?
There was only one way to remedy this cruel situation. To make things right again, I brought Vick to Highland Kitchen the next night. Buttermilk Fried Chicken Wings were still on the specials menu and our marriage was saved. Also, the Hop Manna was just as good the second night as it was the first. And so were the fried cheese balls.
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Monday, January 16, 2012
Tempe, AZ
Yahoo! I finished my 7th half marathon in Tempe, AZ!
It was a whirlwind of a weekend, but so much fun. Vick and I woke up at 4am on Saturday for our flight to Phoenix Arizona, and made it there somewhat awake. We got picked up at the airport by the fabulous Laura and Michael Ritzler, who were our amazing hosts for the weekend. They brought us to the race expo which was our first glimpse of how HUGE the P. F. Chang's Rock and Roll Half Marathon would be. Even though I know that there would be 10s of thousands of people running, I didn't really have a concept of what that meant. The race expo was only the first time in the weekend that we'd be herded through an area like livestock. Where's Temple Grandin when you need her?
After the expo, we got to hang with the Ritzler four-legged, fuzzy children. Tallie has grown into quite the silly dog since our days in Redondo Beach. Isis and Boobaloo were super cute and sweet. All three were so BIG compared to our teeny children. Next we carb-loaded at Gasper's with Laura and Mike, and our food coma was perfectly timed for 8pm.
Weather-wise, race day was absolutely perfect. When we left Laura's house it was in the upper 40s. It was in the upper 50s when we stopped running. It was cloudy, which is great for translucent people like myself.
With so many people in corrals at the start line, it took us nearly 25 minutes to begin. The freight train crossing after the first corrals left didn't help anything. Once we did get by the start line, there was still the matter of passing people or being passed. In every race I've run, thus far, after a mile or two, the pack thins as the herd stretches out. For this race, the people were plentiful, and it seemed as though we had to bob and weave around runners for the entire race.
The terrain was interesting. Arizona is way more flat Massachusetts, and since the trees are few and far between, it feels like you can see for miles. And yet, the course still steadily gained elevation for several miles in the middle. The awesome part about that? The last few miles were a gradual decline. Sweet.
Arizona was the first place I've raced with cacti. One cactus of note looked as though it had two arms, mid-clap. Vick nearly stopped us to ensure that I saw it. He's a silly boy. Although, at mile 8, we needed any applause we could get.
We finished the race in 2:13:25. That means that we were 11 seconds/mile away from of my goal of running 10-minute miles. Since I didn't tell Vick that was the goal until the day before the race, I think we did pretty well!
After finishing, racers were treated to bananas, frozen yogurt, jamba juice, bagels, water, and snack bars. This all would have been extraordinarily nice if there weren't thousands of us trying to leave the finish chute. We were fenced in, and the fences funneled inwards as we got closer and closer to the exit. People were sweaty and hot. I felt like I was going to pass out from claustrophobia, and then my husband started mooing. Oy. They should call in Temple Grandin for expert advice before their next race.
Once we had finally exited, we met up with Laura and Mike, who were nice enough to take us for pancakes and waffles, then back for much needed showers and video games. Before our red-eye back to Boston, they brought us to an eat-in movie theater with super-comfy chairs. All-in-all, it was a fantastic race day. Many thanks to the Ritzlers for such a great weekend!
Now, back to sleep!
It was a whirlwind of a weekend, but so much fun. Vick and I woke up at 4am on Saturday for our flight to Phoenix Arizona, and made it there somewhat awake. We got picked up at the airport by the fabulous Laura and Michael Ritzler, who were our amazing hosts for the weekend. They brought us to the race expo which was our first glimpse of how HUGE the P. F. Chang's Rock and Roll Half Marathon would be. Even though I know that there would be 10s of thousands of people running, I didn't really have a concept of what that meant. The race expo was only the first time in the weekend that we'd be herded through an area like livestock. Where's Temple Grandin when you need her?
After the expo, we got to hang with the Ritzler four-legged, fuzzy children. Tallie has grown into quite the silly dog since our days in Redondo Beach. Isis and Boobaloo were super cute and sweet. All three were so BIG compared to our teeny children. Next we carb-loaded at Gasper's with Laura and Mike, and our food coma was perfectly timed for 8pm.
Weather-wise, race day was absolutely perfect. When we left Laura's house it was in the upper 40s. It was in the upper 50s when we stopped running. It was cloudy, which is great for translucent people like myself.
With so many people in corrals at the start line, it took us nearly 25 minutes to begin. The freight train crossing after the first corrals left didn't help anything. Once we did get by the start line, there was still the matter of passing people or being passed. In every race I've run, thus far, after a mile or two, the pack thins as the herd stretches out. For this race, the people were plentiful, and it seemed as though we had to bob and weave around runners for the entire race.
The terrain was interesting. Arizona is way more flat Massachusetts, and since the trees are few and far between, it feels like you can see for miles. And yet, the course still steadily gained elevation for several miles in the middle. The awesome part about that? The last few miles were a gradual decline. Sweet.
Arizona was the first place I've raced with cacti. One cactus of note looked as though it had two arms, mid-clap. Vick nearly stopped us to ensure that I saw it. He's a silly boy. Although, at mile 8, we needed any applause we could get.
We finished the race in 2:13:25. That means that we were 11 seconds/mile away from of my goal of running 10-minute miles. Since I didn't tell Vick that was the goal until the day before the race, I think we did pretty well!
After finishing, racers were treated to bananas, frozen yogurt, jamba juice, bagels, water, and snack bars. This all would have been extraordinarily nice if there weren't thousands of us trying to leave the finish chute. We were fenced in, and the fences funneled inwards as we got closer and closer to the exit. People were sweaty and hot. I felt like I was going to pass out from claustrophobia, and then my husband started mooing. Oy. They should call in Temple Grandin for expert advice before their next race.
Once we had finally exited, we met up with Laura and Mike, who were nice enough to take us for pancakes and waffles, then back for much needed showers and video games. Before our red-eye back to Boston, they brought us to an eat-in movie theater with super-comfy chairs. All-in-all, it was a fantastic race day. Many thanks to the Ritzlers for such a great weekend!
Now, back to sleep!
Heading in a Different Direction
A beer-tracking tragedy occurred about 4 months ago. I had thought that sending Vick a text each time I drank a new beer would ensure that I would never lose my beerdata. I allowed several months to go by before updating my spreadsheet, knowing that all of my beerinformation was safely stored on two devices. My foolproof beer-collecting system failed when both my cell phone and Vick's cell phone died in the same week.
Disgruntled by the loss, I stopped recording my beers all together. I'm fairly certain that I had over 20 beer names that are lost forever. So, I've decided to go in a slightly different direction.
While I still make a commitment to drink good beer (rather than yucky beer), I'm ending my attempt to finish a certain number in a certain time. I'm not going to give up beer forever, though. As I continue to run a half marathon in each state, I will do my best to record and blog about excellent beers.
Like the Pretty Things Jack D'Or that I had at 10 Tables in JP last month. I'm pretty sure that was an excellent beer, or at least it paired well with fantastic food! Or how Opa Opa IPA goes so well with Thanksgiving dinner. Anyway, I'll get back to recording, but this time with less ambition. Ambition is for suckers.
Disgruntled by the loss, I stopped recording my beers all together. I'm fairly certain that I had over 20 beer names that are lost forever. So, I've decided to go in a slightly different direction.
While I still make a commitment to drink good beer (rather than yucky beer), I'm ending my attempt to finish a certain number in a certain time. I'm not going to give up beer forever, though. As I continue to run a half marathon in each state, I will do my best to record and blog about excellent beers.
Like the Pretty Things Jack D'Or that I had at 10 Tables in JP last month. I'm pretty sure that was an excellent beer, or at least it paired well with fantastic food! Or how Opa Opa IPA goes so well with Thanksgiving dinner. Anyway, I'll get back to recording, but this time with less ambition. Ambition is for suckers.
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