Recipe of the Day: Cornmeal-Crusted Mango Salmon

Here's my innaugural foodie post: Cornmeal-Crusted Mango Salmon. Tonight's dinner was thanks to Food Network's Sunny Anderson. I didn't use any butter though and probably half the olive oil than what was in the recipe. Essentially what you're looking at is center-cut salmon, with a mango glaze and cornmeal crust. It's topped with leftover mango glaze and fresh mango. I'll have to admit that it didn't taste as sweet as I thought it would, but that's because I'm used to sweeter mangos from Hawaii. Still pretty tasty though! Give it a try!

BTW, the side salad in the background was made up of:

-mixed greens

-mint leaves

-grape tomatoes

-low fat cottage cheese

-garbanzo beans

Training Benefits from this meal:

-beans, cottage cheese, and salmon are good protein for post-workout recovery

-mixed greens prevents muscle damage in hard workouts

Alrighty, that's all I got for tonight. Happy Eating!

Bring It On

So to be honest, when Raquel voiced her interest in training with me for the next marathon I admit that I was a bit apprehensive. Now, I'm sure most runners would scoff at my hesitation, because they would love their significant others to show the same enthusiasm for their passion. Well, don't get me wrong because I certainly am excited that we may have another activity to share together. But, running has always been a solo activity for me. It's my mechanism for escaping the world; where I temporarily only have to worry about myself. Batman has the Batcave, Superman has the Fortress of Solitude, and I have running.

In addition, I feel like we have imaginary lines drawn to designate separate areas of expertise between us. For instance:

Surfrunner: music / Raquel: sports
Surfrunner: cooking for a big crowd / Raquel: cooking for two
Surfrunner: driving / Raquel: fixing the car
Surfrunner: surfing, running / Raquel: climbing, volleyball

Anyway, I'm sure you see my point. I'm not saying that we can never venture into the other person's world, because we each are more than happy to share. But, I wasn't ready to transform my demarcated Running territory into a union of our Venn Diagram.

Then again, Batman did allow other people into the Batcave, like Robin and Alfred, his butler. So I'm willing to give it a try and keep an open mind. We haven't started running together yet, but I am gearing her, as well as myself, up for a joint run relatively soon. As expected, it's taking her less time to ramp up to my current running level than I originally needed. In any case, there is nothing like a little healthy competition to give my training a boost, right? What do you think Internet? Am I being weirdly territorial about running or have you folks felt something similar?

Introducing Chef Surfrunner..

It's time for "Jog in Ocean" to undergo some re-designing. I'm not talking about a facelift to the page, I mean I want to modify the purpose of this blog. Per Mayumi's suggestion, I'd like to start blogging about some of my culinary adventures as a foodie. And per Sidewalk Monkey's suggestion, I will be occasionally taking pictures of my creations and posting them. This doesn't mean I'll stop chronicling about my training/technique. On the contrary, I think this gives you folks a better grasp of how I train because food/nutrition is a big part of the regiment.

I also want to quell the myth of having to sacrifice good food as a part of marathon training. It doesn't have to be a boring diet, and you'll see once I start posting about my meals. For those of you who are unfamiliar with my own cooking background, I've been dabbling around with it since college. But, my interest really started to take-off when I graduated, moved to the bay area, and started hosting a lot of dinners.

In the beginning, I was always inspired by that old "Ready, Set, Cook" show, which was a pre-cursor to Iron Chef, but not as elaborate. In other words, I hated recipes and made up my own stuff. But now, I think I've come to a happy medium where I'll use a recipe as a guideline, then add my own twist. And as far as cuisine goes, I'll tend to cook food from any region as long as it's relatively healthy and the ingredients are fresh. But, here are some sample cuisines I've worked with: Vietnamese, Thai, Chinese, Pacific Rim, Cajun, Mediterranean, Morrocan, Irish, and Californian (yes, this is a genre, just check Yelp).

In any case, this change also comes just in time for the Reno Rib Fest that a bunch of us will be attending this weekend. Stay tuned for food pics from that as well as whatever I cook this week*!

*This is usually dependant on whatever Raquel is craving, because even though I'm the chef, she's the eater. What a hard job...

Huzzah!!

Check out the bright, shiny, "Congratulations" under my "Running Goal" application on the right sidebar. Yesterday, I finally ran the last 4 miles needed for my accummulated 50 miles in 4 weeks goal. As of late, I've been failing every running goal I set for the last 3 months. So, this accomplishment feels very sweet and, at the same time, long overdue. FINALLY!

I can't describe the little giddy feeling I get every time I've successfully completed a running goal. The closest thing I can think of is getting an A on a project that I've worked really hard on. But, even that case is different because there are consequences to flunking a class. The only thing I get from missing a running goal is a long session of self-berating. Yet, since it was a personal goal that I've set, it feels more important to me than a goal set for me by someone else. Funny how that works...

In any case, I'll be celebrating by leaving that application up for one more day, while I re-calibrate my sensor tonight. Stay tuned for a new running goal to be posted within the next couple of days.

Surfrunner got a new pair of shoes!

Yesterday, I had a delightful first visit to the specialty running store down the street. Not only was this my first time in that particular store, but it was my first time in any specialty running store. Why? Well, because I'm frugal (*cough*, cheap/chang) and I've always viewed running shoes as functional equipment for a cheap, yet all-encompassing hobby. As long as I can run comfortably and my Nike+ system has a slot for the sensor, then it doesn't matter what shoe I get. Surprisingly, I've always thought of my iPod/Nike+ system as more important to my running than shoes. Well, not after yesterday's education.

Now that I think about it, of course I should care about the equipment that will help prevent my long-term injuries. The running expert identified the kind of runner I am: an overpronator; the kind of shoe I need to compensate for that: motion-control or stability; and proceeded to parade a large variety of those shoes to choose from. Not only that, but he explained the type of injuries I would get from running with the wrong shoes because of the way I run (I've already gotten them). Anyway, my favorite parts were that he let me extensively test each shoe: run a lap around the parking lot, and he drilled a hole in the shoe I chose so that it would perfectly fit my Nike+ sensor, all for free. Overall, I gained knowledge and I got special running shoes that didn't cost me any more than what I usually spend! Is that a good deal or what??

For the record, I settled on the Women's Mizuno Wave Alchemy 8. After I bought them, I took my new shoes for an inaugural run and finally broke the 700 mile mark!! That's right, according to my Nike+ system, I've run 700+ miles in a little over 2 years. YAY ME! As for the shoes, they are the lightest, most comfortable pair I've had. My only hang-up is that the trimming is bright neon green. Oh well, it's alright because I'm bringing the 80's back.

Free Surfrunner Tip: I tend to change my shoes every 300-400 miles to prevent injury.

Tempo Trail Run Report

I just got back from my favorite tempo trail run and felt the need to report what happened. So, in my new training plan I've tried to include a tempo run* on my favorite trail 3-4 times a week. The trail is scenic, paved, and best of all: convenient. It's only half a mile from my house. Anyway, it's also short enough that my runs can vary from 2-6 miles. Today was a 4-mile day.

The bad part about the trail is that during the summer the bugs come out in droves and the pollen continuously circulates. In other words, it's not the ideal trail for allergy sufferers. Additionally, they've just started construction in the middle of the trail, therefore add sawdust to the cocktail in the air.

Now, I've been running on this trail for the better part of 1.5 years, so I'm very familiar with the environment and the following has never happened before. Around mile 3, I noticed that I swallowed something small and it was irritating my esophagus. I tried hacking it up a couple of times, but it wouldn't come out. Then, I tried swallowing it down, but it wouldn't stay down. I've narrowed down it's identity to 3 possibilities: 1. A piece of tree bark, 2. An errant small leaf, or 3. A bug.

Good lord....I hope it's a leaf. But, considering how I think it keeps moving, I think it's #3 and I'm thoroughly grossed out. Btw, this is now my new reason to improve my breathing technique: In through the nose, Out through the mouth. Alright, I'm off to take a long shower and search for a very large cold beer.

*Tempo Run = A comfortably hard run that is no longer than 8 miles (when training for a half marathon).

An Amazing Race

I tend to look for running inspiration in a lot of other sports besides running. In my opinion, running isn't really an exciting spectator sport unless I'm watching a track meet. Ironically, I haven't been watching any of the running events in the Beijing Olympics this year even though I've read all about the extremely talented US, British, and Kenyan participants. However, I did manage to spend most of my weekend glued to the TV watching Women's Volleyball, Women's Beach Volleyball, Men's Basketball, and Men's/Women's Swimming. (Don't worry, I still got in my runs, folks.) In any case, there was one race in particular on Sunday night that I'd like to pull your attention to.

By now, everyone has heard about Michael Phelps, the intrepid olympian swimmer focused on adding 8 more gold medals to his collection. If he does win every medal, he will go down in the history books as the first olympian to win that many golds in one olympiad. I've been avidly following his story and his races to see if he succeeds. And I can't help but admire this driven/focused athlete. But, it wasn't his solo races which had me on the edge of my seat; it was the 4x100m relay on Sunday night where he competed with 3 fellow US swimmers.

What struck me about that race was the humbleness that the US team had when they entered the stadium. The Americans declined to comment or boast despite the verbal abuse that they were receiving from the favored French team. Instead, they decided to focus on each other and the race to swim a good swim and do their best. It's hard to find athletes who can keep that level of focus, especially with the world watching them. In any case, after watching that race, I'm now inspired to run with that level of focus, passion, and humility.

Check out the race: HERE

Good Luck Team USA with the rest of the Olympics!

P.S. So, those are the sports I've been watching in the games. What are you folks watching?

More Tweaking

Whoo, FINALLY! I can't believe it took me that many days to get over the technical difficulties to upload my runs. In any case, you can now take a gander at my inaccurate running graphs on the right sidebar: ------------------------------------------------------------------->

Trojan Warrior? More like chubby, sweaty, chain smoker!

Please excuse the delay of uploading my running graph from the SF Half-Marathon, folks. I'm having technical difficulties with my Nike+ system. Not only that, but it's an inaccurate graph anyway. Apparently, my running device has become un-calibrated over the last month. So, instead of running 13.1 miles, I look like I ran almost 15 miles. DOH! At least the time and relative shape of the graph will be accurate.

In any case, I do have some race memorabilia to share with you today. None of it which makes me proud or happy. Trust me, I'm not going to be telling this story to my grandkids one day. According to the website, my official finishing time is 3:17:22. Now, I know that I've been happy about finishing the race because I didn't expect to do it. But, 3:17?? Come on!!! I bet you even my almost 3-year old nephew could run faster than me. After I got over the novelty of finishing, the slow finishing time definitely kicked me in the pants. But, no matter...this will just motivate me to really hit my new time goal in the SJ half-marathon: 2:15-2:30. I know that sounds like a lot, but the course is completely flat and I'm actually training now.

And now for the piece d'resistance: my marathon photos. Now, I realize that running photos are notorious for being unflattering. But, I was hoping to look as dignified as the elegant ladies who prefer to race their horses while sitting side-saddle; not a hair out of place in their up-swept coiffures, and not one un-sightly bulge in their riding outfits. This is me we're talking about though, so no such luck. Feast your eyes:

And my personal favorite....

If you don't notice the rather pissed off lady in white, right behind me, look again. I think she's wondering why I sprinted past her for no reason. It's not like it makes a difference if I came in at 3:18 or even 3:19, we're already WELL past 3 hours. So to The Lady in White, I'm sorry that I thundered past you and scared you, but I was going for a good action shot at the finish line. Did I get it? Personally, I think I look like an ad for Tums rather than an ad for Nike. Oh well... There's always the next race!

I'm a Trojan Warrior

I want to start today's post with thanking everyone who lent me their opinions over the past week regarding my SF Marathon strategy. I ended up adapting Michelle's suggestion of a distance goal (10 miles) with a caveat that I'd play the rest by ear. So how did the race turn out yesterday? Alright everyone, I'm surprised and ecstatic to announce that I finished the race without being injured! Well, at least not more injured than I normally get after a race like that. I'm waddling around the office today, but at least I have a ridiculous grin plastered all over my face.

I don't have any action pictures or official race times to post, but I will be sharing them as I receive them. My unofficial time, according to my iPod, was 3:12. Yes, it was over the race limit. But, I think it was close enough to 3 hours so they still recorded the time and didn't open the roads yet. Not to mention that I wasn't dead last, and there was still a horde of people behind me. Hooray! Anyway, I'm not going to give you a play-by-play of the race like I did last time, but I do want to share all of the highlights (postive and negative).

Highlights

Positives:

• I beat my 10-mile time from last week by 10 minutes. At that mile marker I didn't feel any overwhelming pain, thus I made the decision to finish the race.
• I ran across the Golden Gate Bridge for the first time! Granted, there was maybe 60% visibility and it was windy/freezing, but it was so neat!!
• I finished the race without severe injuries.
• This is my favorite highlight: At the finish line there is usually an announcer who entertains the lingering crowd and essentially does a rolling commentary. When I rounded the corner and saw the finish line, I wanted to finish with everything I had. So I balled my fists, put on my game face, and switched from a light run to a full-out sprint. The next thing I heard from the announcer was: "Oh my, look what we have here. There seems to be a trojan warrior charging the finish line. This is a rare sight indeed folks, even in San Francisco. Go warrior!" At first, I thought that there really was a person dressed like a Spartan somewhere in the crowd, so I looked around. But, when I realized he was talking about me, I ran even faster and passed someone, especially when the crowd started cheering louder for me. This will go down as one of my favorite racing moments. I'm still tickled that I've been dubbed a trojan warrior.

Negatives:

• I had to wake up at 4 am. for this race, which started at 5:30 am. yuck.
• Some rude lady shoved me when I was on Golden Gate bridge (around mile 9), yelling: "Get out of the way!!" At the time, I was tiring out a bit so I consciously moved to the side to walk for a while. Seriously lady, there's no need to shove. It's not like you don't have the whole road.
• The traffic was so backed up where they blocked off the streets (miles 11-13), that the drivers thought it'd be constructive to hold down their blaring horns for 5 minutes at a time. Honestly people, I know that the race posts about the traffic delays days in advance. Please plan accordingly and don't take things out on the people who drag their butts out at 4 am to run for a cause.
• Somewhere along the way, I lost my car/house keys. They fell out of my pocket. It's a darn good thing that I let Raquel sit this race out because it was so early. Because, she and my other friends came to my rescue when I discovered that I was locked out of my car after I ran 13.1 miles. Believe me, at that point I didn't want to retrace my steps to find them.

And that concludes my post-race commentary, folks. The next thing on the horizon is the SJ Rock and Roll Half Marathon in two months. Yes, I've learned my lesson about proper training before a race. So, this time I'm going to do it right. In fact, I've suddenly inspired Raquel to want to train with me (during my short/fast runs). Most of you are aware that I prefer to run solo, so I do see the dilemna in this training technique. I'll let you know how it goes. Stay tuned for my official time results, my iPod graph from the race, and my action pics.