dear alton brown....

dear alton brown....

can i be you when i grow up..or maybe even just work as a "kitchen researcher"...i work really hard...and love food..and food science...and i sometimes...just go to the grocery store just to look...and a lot of the time i pick recipes that look really hard just because i think it's fun when recipes take multiple days to cook...and multiple set ups and more hands than i have...and words that only people who dig food would know...

anyway, i just wanted you to know that i really (even though i don't have cable...and well i don't really watch your show all that much because i don't have a lot of time...but when i do...i am all over those youtube episodes) love your show...and find that you are one of the only "modern" tv chefs that i can deal with...having grown up on Jacques and Julia...they taught me to cook...and now you....you are something that is hard to explain...peas in a pod you and me our love of good solid tasty food...that is not pretentious...just really about fresh and honest...you and me are a lot a like i think...i think we would get along...something of that nature...

just wanted to let you know...

thanks
xo
j

hip openers...

i need to be doing hip opening yoga a lot more than i do...like every day...and should get a hip opener massage too...katie and i will discuss this monday...maybe i won't feel so tight if i do...guh...if it's not one thing...it's a million others...wish my body would cooperate

edit: half happy baby=good pose

uhm what happened to this year

it is hard to believe that it's the second week in november...and i just ordered my turkey for thanksgiving and bought plane tickets for christmas break...and hard to believe that just a year ago i was getting ready to head out to arizona to compete in my first ironman...wow...

this week was pretty mellow...not too much school stress (a welcome break) and not training for anything in particular so i'm just going to workouts when i want...

though i found out that the nagging in my foot turned out to be a sprained ligament...which i did stepping off a stone on my front pathway...lame...it's mild...and phil the pt guru is ok if i run short three times a week...did that on thursday and it didn't feel all that great...so i'm going to wait to do more running until i get it taped...so this gives me real reason to take it easy...and focus on my bike and swim...

made it to my first spin and first long ride in awhile...it was beautiful out on saturday and i tried to hammer the 32 miles...could feel the burn on some of the hills out on bee caves...and it was nice to be back on the bike...i love my bike...

also got to swim friday morning with ETG...a birthday swim for her...and i got to draft off her...and get back in barton springs...always nice there...and with day light savings...it is light for part of the swim!

so since i procrastinated on my homework yesterday i must get back at it today...coming in to the home stretch here...and am getting really excited about that december break :)

the week in review

after taking two weeks totally off from working out and not doing a thing but catching up with j and doing homework this week was getting back to business...i have made some goals...and decided a few things about training that i would like to do...

-increase running mileage...i think i just need to have more miles on my legs to feel strong at the finish...and to push like i want to push at the end of a race

-i'm going to run the marine corps marathon next october with my cousin... :) i think this means we are going to run a marathon a year and make our families come

-i'm going to run the austin half in february

-work on sport and me specific strength training...hip flexers...glutes...etc

-get back in the pool

so i am figuring out how i am going to do all of this but i started small but started so that is a good thing...yoga monday, core tuesday and thursday, a spin on wednesday and...ran saturday...the first run since chicago...short and sweet and totally awkward...but good none the less...and i ran again today...7 on the trail with some t3 peeps...tried to keep it brisk...felt great for most of it...tried to push a bit more on the last mile...and didn't have it...grr...need to do something about that...

other good stuff this week...i got into my internship program...had a nice meeting with my boss :)...went to see st. andrew's production of les mis...it was awesome...and i have had songs from it stuck in my head all week...

got a 92 on my biochem test...rocked it out...average was 72...i am _very_ excited about this...did a little dance when i saw that one!

had a great dinner to celebrate my internship program at enoteca with j and jennifer...and i got a cupcake (finally my post race cupcake!) which also signifies my return to proper nutrition post race...

still need to schedule my cooking time with amy...

and even started thinking about thanksgiving menu ideas...

lovely weekend...good end to a good week...love me some friends, family and this gorgeous weather...

Rest.

Rest is something that has not been in my vocabulary since post IMAZ last November...and at the moment...it's my new favorite word...besides my forced time off last january from overuse injury...i have been training for something non stop...and i am really happy to say i have done nothing more difficult than ride my mtn. bike around my neighborhood and to school and back...and nothing that resembles a workout since running chicago...it has been really nice...i still feel some funky build up in my legs like when i stretch they are on the verge of cramping...but don't...so i'm not pushing my self to get back into a schedule quite yet...

it has been nice to not drive around to workouts after i get done with class for the day...somehow this always stresses me out...how am i going to get to spin and get my trainer set up blah blah before the workout starts...yeah it bugs me...so not feeling that has been really really nice...guess i need that mental break too...it makes my homework all seem that much more manageable when i am not training 18 hours a week...hmm funny how that works...

i have been cooking a bunch and well i love that so it has been great...indian lentils with butternut squash, 8 grain bread, spaghetti squash topped with marinara and baked (yum!), banana muffins, oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, pasta with arugula, chicken, mushrooms and caramelized onions...yeah i have been having fun...

so this coming week i think i will pick some workouts and go to them...or not go to them if i don't want to...nice to have that option...and i will figure out my off season...register for classes...and hopefully find out about my internship (still holding out hope that it comes in the mail today)...and continue to embrace the rest

Chicago Marathon...race report/race weekend

I arrived in Chicago on friday after class...direct flight...then hopped on the L to get to my hotel downtown...i love the train...really love it...it was easy to get to and fun to ride...and surprisingly empty at 5pm on a friday...hopped off at state/lake and walked the three blocks to my hotel...i had been texting with my cousin and we had planned to meet up to head to the expo after i dropped my bags at the hotel...

did just that...met at niketown on michigan ave...THE michigan ave... :) and hopped on a shuttle to the convention center where the expo was help...wow...massive, huge expo...never have i seen one that big...we grabbed our packets and shirts and walked around to get our fair share of free stuff...some free silk milk and greek yogurt...

my cousin found a sweet marathon fleece...i found a "will run for wine" t-shirt :)

back on the bus...and out to rosebuds for some wine and pasta...had a really fun dinner with jennifer and j.r....then it was off to bed...

my folks arrived in the morning on saturday...had a nice breakfast with them...then me, mom, dad, my cousin, his wife and my uncle all headed down to the race start to check things out...that is where the mandatory pre-race meltdown occurred...it was totally overwhelming...imagine the biggest race you have been in (besides ny) and times it at least by 5...wow...starting corrals for like a mile and a half...just huge...mom and coach amy (from afar) helped me pull it together...but still a little freaked out...but i guess that is part of the process...it is a part that i need to get better at handling...not too sure how but we will try the next time around...

back to the hotel to do some homework...i had a huge project due tuesday at 8am that i needed to work on...so i grabbed in and went to hang out with my folks...watched some golf, chatted and got some work done...totally the afternoon i needed to help my head...

saturday evening was a big family dinner at this really delicious italian place...got to see a bunch of family i have not seen in a long time...and got to see a few famous chicago spots on the walk there and back to the hotel...(there was a long line for rick bayless' restaurant at 4.30pm...cool to see)...hung out a bit with the fam at the hotel then off to bed by 9

slept ok but not great that night...lots of noise outside (everyone noticed that it was loud out there...of all the nights!)...got up at 4.45...coffee...oatmeal...try not to freak out...child's pose for a bit to breathe and calm myself down...then dressed and down to the lobby...oh...it just so happened to be 32 degrees...i have not been near temps like that since last January...yeah...i had on a lot of layers...

mom dad and i walked down to the race start...about a mile away...there were lots of other runners doing the same thing...starting to get exciting...hit the port-o-potties a couple times on the way there...no lines...still clean...was hoping to find a good spot in the corral where my folks could be close by...i wanted to keep my clothes on as long as possible...didn't want to spend my energy shivering...found a perfect spot...i could sit on the curb...mom and dad could be on the fence next to me...worked out great...hung out there for a bit...they made the announcement that the corrals were closing...we were getting close..shed some layers...tossed them to mom and dad...corrals closed...shed more layers...then people started hopping the fence...scaling a 6 foot chain link fence to get into the starting corral...because they were late...it was totally bizarre...not just one or two people...at least 15 or 20 right where we were standing...no regard for the people around them...weird...

shed the last of my layers and started to move towards the center of the corral...looking for some pacers...never found the signs...just the pace numbers on the backs of people...chatted with two girls next to me...glanced to my left...the guy next to me was going to the bathroom...right there...eww...national anthem...start of the wheelchair division...i was shivering...nervous, cold and excited...then we started moving...actually jogging...3/4 of the way up to the start line...then stopped...all the while dodging piles of clothing...shed my last layer...was down to shorts/t-shirt/gloves and regular hat...(turned out to be a perfect choice)...and we were off...

like usual...people were running like crazy out of the start...the whole going out too fast thing...will get you every time...it felt weird to be running in this huge crowd of people alone...i wasn't running with a friend or a group from my team...my cousin was out there somewhere...and a few other folks i knew...but really it was just me out there running my race...and i was ok with that...

it felt really good to just finally start running....it is the anticipation of the run or the race that kills me...thankfully i was just running...and that i did...i started with my gel flask and a little 8oz bottle of water so i could avoid the first few water stops...that worked well...

the crowds were amazing...the crowds of runners...where we had to shuffle around corners just because it was packed with people...the crowds on the sides of the streets three and four deep in most places...and the sights of really all of chicago...i was having fun...and so far running well...

i had planned on 8.40/high 8.30s for the first few miles just because of the people...i knew it would be tough to settle into my pace in these miles...and i did what i set out to do...though it was hard to see mile markers in the first few...i saw 2k split my watch and saw i was on target...after that i tried to settle in on 8.35s and take that through the half...the sun was shining and i was running well...saw my fam at mile 1...and then my folks somewhere about mile 12...still feeling good...hit the half at 1.52...right on target...now it was time to think about picking it up...and for some reason (looking at my results) this is the 5k that i slowed down? really not sure what was happening...i was not feeling bad at this point...i remember some rollers...but nothing major...lots of people...just running...but not fast enough (as i see my splits)...maybe i was happy with the half numbers and relaxed a little too much...hmm...don't know...

i started thinking pretty intently at this point about how i could make my goal time...i was trying to find 3.40 pacers and stick with them...but i never found the big group of them...i was stuck around the 3.50 people...at the 30k point i was able to pass them and that felt like a real mental breaktrough...i was excited...i was going to keep picking it up...and i was going to catch my pacers...then...well...i had to hit the bathroom...this was a huge blow...when i got out...i was again behind the 3.50 crowd...and couldn't get around them...grr...

hit 35k and realized (i think i knew it before this point but this is when i let myself realize it...my quads were pretty cramp-y...i had taken some salt tabs...but was not convinced that was going to help) i couldn't hit my goal time...so i decided to just run...run the best i could at that point...try to finish strong...and end up where i would end up...

ditched my gel flask at this point...somewhere around 38k and just ran...tried to enjoy what was around me...and kept saying it will hurt less if you run faster...i would for a bit then i would slow down...it will hurt less if you run faster...pick up...then back down again...was feeling slow at this point...feeling like there were a lot of people passing me...frustrated...but still happy to be almost there...almost done with my second marathon...saw a 3.40 pacer run by somewhere around here...she was hauling...there was no way i could have kept up with that...just kept running...trying to keep the quads in line...

even though i was getting passed by a lot of people i was happy that i was still moving...there were a lot of people on the side of the road stretching, walking trying to move...but just not able to...i was still moving...and kept that up...

so i was looking at the bright side during that last 5k...it was a total straight shot at this point...i was still running...and i was about to complete the chicago marathon...it was kind of nice to be able to get over my not hitting my goal time even before i was done running...or at least i was hoping that this was the case

turned a corner at mile 26...and there was a hill...i just laughed...it was a bridge overpass...but totally funny to run an almost completely flat course...and have a "hill" at mile 26...cruel...smiled and ran that last .2 to the finish...it is nice to finish with a smile...

not what i wanted...but still pretty good...

race report will come later...but here are some stats...

Chicago Marathon 2009

42,000 participants
i finished 9111 over all
i was 2179 in the women
and 469 in my age group

about a nine minute pr

total time 3.52.55
solid...but still room for improvement :)