Running with the Pack

Last friday was my first attempt to run with Raquel during a race. We both decided to start small with a 5K. It wasn't just any 5K though, this one had a theme. It was the Palo Alto Moonlight 5K. The course was on a trail through little lakes and reservoirs, and was only lit by the full moon. Isn't that a romantic and original concept? I can honestly say that I've never done a night run like that before. They recommended that we wear head lamps and hold flashlights, but I didn't bring anything thinking that my eyesight was sufficient and I'd try to keep up with Raquel, who was wearing a head lamp. Also, I invited my friends, Nat and Kimi, as additional reinforcements because there is safety in numbers.

My strategy was to let Nat and Kimi shoot ahead and play a game of chase with them for the whole race. That didn't quite go as planned. In the beginning, I decided to weave my way through the crowd and try to break free with Raquel valiantly keeping up and giving me some light. We had a good pace going for about 1.5 miles. But at that 1.5 mile marker, all of a sudden I felt the consequences of my early exertions and I ended up walking. I think I let my negative thoughts get the best of me: "Oh man.. I can't keep up this pace with Raquel." "My legs are feeling like lead, I've never done this pace before." "If I keep running at this speed, I might break an ankle because I can't really see the dirt trail, even with Raquel's light.". And like the loyal girlfriend that she is, Raquel stayed with me the whole time even though I know she had the energy to run farther. In the end, I mangaged a walk/run method after Nat and Kimi eventually caught up to us. We all finished the race together, but with a really slow time.

Afterwards, I asked Raquel how she felt about our joint run. And she told me that she was ridiculously tired when I stopped to walk, so it was a good thing that I slowed down. But, I know her better, that's her version of cheering me up. She also said that I seemed more self-conscious about my appearance when she was next to me. For example, she thought I was worried about my sweat, my hair being out of place, and that I didn't look cute. Now, I know that I definitely wasn't worried about that, so I'm trying to figure out if she was transferring some of her worries on to me.

Overall, I still prefer running solo over running with friends. But, I don't think that I dread pack running as much as I did before. I'm going to need a few more practice runs with Raquel to get used to her pace and presence. Next time, I'll have to apply some positive mantras to balance the negative thoughts. Apparently, I'll also have to remember to wear my cuter running clothes and to style my hair.

Congratulations Raquel!

This past weekend, Raquel and I went to Ojai, CA (7 hours south) for a climbing competition. It involved driving on dangerous mountain roads at night (pitch black), camping in the middle of nowhere (no campsite amenities), and riding on a rickety old school bus going 9 miles up the mountain without a guardrail on the road. To say the least, it was mildly traumatic and scary for me. But, I must say that it's also exhilirating watching these talented athletes climb a 15-foot, sometimes 30-foot, boulder without any ropes.

I'm very glad that I only went as a spectator, even though Raquel was trying to get me to compete. I was clearly out of my league, plus there were no ambulances close by. If you fall, the only thing you have to catch you is the twin-size crash pad mattress that you bring. Also, your spotter is in charge of guiding you to the crash pad. Although, it's not uncommon to entirely miss the pad and break something. So you can imagine my apprehension about trying it.

Even though, it wasn't a very productive climbing weekend for me, it was for Raquel. She ended up placing third in her division! To say that I'm proud is an understatement. I estimated about 15 competitors in her division, and many of them were seasoned climbers. I've always been fascinated with watching her climb, because to me it's like watching Michael Phelps swim. She's so comfortable, graceful, and confident on the rock. Plus, the happy dance she does post-climb is cuter than a football player doing his touchdown victory dance.

Anyway, it makes me wonder if she's ever seen me evoke that kind of emotion and superhuman ability when I run or surf. Probably not. But, she's always inspiring me to strive for it. Congratulations Raquel!

Recipe of the Day: Grilled Tequila Lime Pork Loin and Grilled Eggplant Farro Salad

Grilled Eggplant Farro Salad

Tequila Lime Pork Loin

I've finally figured out how to take better close-up pics of my food, thanks to my Pudding Buddy. She mentioned that I may not be using the macro setting correctly, and lo and behold, my photos are magically better. Anyway, I was inspired by last friday's lunch to do something fun w/ Farro. And thanks to Bobby Flay, I attempted to recreate his Farro Salad. I must admit that is one tasty salad. Try it! The sherry vinaigrette that goes on top added a tarty/tangy taste to the nutty grain. It's making me such a huge fan of farro.

The Tequila Lime Pork Loin was Raquel's idea, inspired by the Reno-Rib Cookoff, specifically our favorite vendor: Kinder's. Their ribs were so tasty and "fall right off the bone", that we had to buy one of their rubs: the tequila lime rub. I ended up seasoning the pork with that rub, extra virgin olive oil, a touch of hawaiian salt, and pepper. Then, threw it on the grill for about 6 minutes per side. All I have to say is this is now one of my favorite meals. The flavor of the pork was outstanding, and the meat was so juicy and tender. I love my grill.

Meal of the Day: Rustica Salad and Farro

Inspired by Sidewalk Monkey's last post, I went out in search of a good salad for lunch. As I was driving down the street from my office, I spotted a very cute Italian Grocery store with a deli in the back. They happened to have exactly the kind of thing I was looking for.

-Rustica Salad: Mixed greens (which included Arugula), fresh mozarella, juicy cherry tomatoes, kalamata olives, and pepperocinis tossed in a light red wine vinaigrette.
-Farro with Fava Beans tossed in it's own light vinaigrette.

This is why I have to start carrying my camera. The meal was beautiful and extremely flavorful. And it has left me feeling energetic, refreshed, and healthy. How's that for a political statement?

Will you be my friend?

It has occurred to me that I tend to play more solo sports, primarily because it's my alone time but also because I would prefer that my friends didn't see me sweat and grunt in pain. However, I've had to change that tendency after getting attached to a girlfriend who primarily plays team and social sports, such as volleyball and climbing. Being a social person myself, I've found it refreshing to have my two worlds collide; participating in good conversation seems to be wonderful distraction from physical pain. So now I'm on a mission to expand our sports circle, particularly our climbing one. Unfortunately, this has proven to be a more difficult task than I originally thought.

Raquel and I have decided we'd like to befriend a group of women who frequent our climbing gym at least twice a week. Occasionally, they bring their husbands along, but for the most part they seem to climb with just each other. After several attempts to engage them in conversation, and instead receiving a cold brush-off, I've given up. Even our "divide and conquer" method didn't work. Undeterred, we set our sights on two new girls, who were admiring Raquel's climbing form last night. Using that as an opening, I tried to start small talk with them, but they ended up wandering off. What is wrong with us? Do we smell? Is there spinach between our teeth? Have we forgotten how to make friends?

I've begun to think about how making friends has evolved a lot over the years for me. When I was in kindergarten, I met my best friend when she introduced herself by the swings. I vaguely remember that my return gesture was to offer her some of my recess snack, which I think was pudding or popcorn (I'm sure she doesn't remember any of this). Those were simpler times, when making friends invoked the barter system, whether it would be a trade in food or protection from the bully. As I grew older, I found that finding a friend became more complicated and involved making a deeper connection through ideas, life experience, or personality.

The best way for me to discover that deeper connection is through small talk, which leads to joking, which leads to an invitation to continue the conversation over another activity (probably coffee). To me, it's pretty much like dating. And in the case of my recent encounters with climbers at our gym, we keep striking out. Well, I'm nothing if not persistent and Raquel and I plan to woo other bay area climbers at the Pine Mountain Bouldering Competition this weekend. Since we'll be camping there all weekend, we do run the risk of smelling, so I did pack soap. Anyway, if that event doesn't work out, we're going back to trying to make friends at the gym again. Perhaps next time I should bring pudding.

Reno Ribs Fest!

I feel like a very bad marathon runner. BAD ME! While most fall marathon trainees did their last long runs this past weekend (probably about 10 miles), I went to gorge myself on ribs for two days. Honestly, I wouldn't feel as guilty if I had actually gotten a long run in on friday. But, did I even do that? No, not unless you count a 5-mile run as a long run.

Crikey, I'm behind. Oh well, it was worth it. I wouldn't have traded in this weekend of fun and food with some of my closest friends for a solitary long run. I'll make up for it this week. That's just the way I roll when it comes to balancing training and life.

Recipe of the Day: Grilled Eggplant/Chicken Pesto Pizza

After a long weekend of munching on Ribs at the Reno Ribs Fest, I came home wanting to eat anything else but red meat. Luckily, I had something fast and non-meaty in my cooking repertoire for my very tired road companions. And I must say that after sitting in traffic for 6.5 hours, this really hit the spot. I'd also like to note that I generally really don't like pizza. So, it's saying a lot when I actually crave this.

Ingredients:
-Pre-made pizza dough (next time I'll try the whole wheat one to be healthier)
-chicken breast
-2 bell peppers
-1 large italian eggplant (sliced)
-3 cups shredded low-fat mozzarella
-Hawaiian sea salt
-Kiawe flavored hawaiian sea salt
-pepper

Pesto sauce:
-2 handfuls of basil
-1 handful of pine nuts
-2 cloves of garlic
-hawaiian sea salt/pepper to taste
-1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil (maybe less)

For Pesto:
Throw in all ingredients into food processor and grind.

For Pizza:
Pre-heat the grill to high. Season the chicken breast, bell pepper, and eggplant (1/4 in. slices) with salt (use the Kiawe one for the chicken), pepper, and olive oil. Grill the eggplant and bell pepper for about 3 minutes per side, until the eggplant is tender and you have nice grill marks. Slice the peppers the eggplant to slivers. Grill the chicken for about 5 minutes per side, then grill on medium for another 3-4 minutes, until the juices run clear. Slice the chicken. Turn the grill back to high and toast the dough for about a minute. Spread pesto and cheese on pizza. Then, add your toppings. (try not to pile it too high, because it cooks fast on the grill) Put back on the grill (the upper rack) for 3-4 minutes, until the cheese has melted. Enjoy!