Thursday, May 26, 2011

Runs4Food in Sweet Home Alabama

Visiting Sharon's twin sister and family in Helena, Alabama for her niece's High School graduation is as good opportunity as any to put a few miles in far away lands and try the local fare.  The run this morning was an easy four miles (if you discount the heat and humidity) on a winding road where a new subdivision was to be built until the bottom fell off the housing market.  That made for a nice, quiet Thursday run.

The demands of the stomach were met at a local eatery truly worth visiting (The Depot).  The place doesn't look like much on the outside (always a good sign).  A quaint tin roof and a dark interior are inviting enough to get away from the rapidly rising temperature.  Don and Sheila recommend the burgers ("not frozen patties, but a nice hunk of hamburger  cooked to perfection", we are told).

As we wait in line to order, we have time to look at the barn-like interior decorated with farm tools, hats and artifacts of old Americana.  Our eyes are drawn to a wall covered with old license plates and to the colored dollar bills that cover the entire restaurant.  The line moves at a good pace and that is good, because we are all hungry.
 Jessica, soon to be graduating, steers me away from the burger to order a Ruben sandwich.  She says they are the best.  I have to opt for the tater tots rather than the fries (easy choice).  Mel and Jessica get the same.  Nobody is disappointed.  The sandwiches are piping hot and very tender.  The tater tots are... well, tater tots.  You can't go wrong with 'em.
 Without a doubt, though, the burgers were the best coming out of the kitchen.  Don and Sheila were right and I will have my little private conversation with Jessica about her recommendations...  They come in 1/4 and 1/2 pounder size and are juicy as can be.  Sheila goes for a good ol' bacon cheese burger.  Don orders the mushroom swiss (and grilled onions) burger.  The bite that Sheila graciously offers me is just about the best burger I've had in a long time.

All and all a promising start for the trip.  Tomorrow we are trying a local fish restaurant.  and Saturday we are planning a ten miler in the area so we can keep Runs4Food with plenty of material :-)

Sunday, May 22, 2011

A Mystery PR

Just came back from my Sunday long run and I got an awesome PR.  The only problem is that I don't know what it is.

My training scheduled called for ten miles, but I don't have a ten mile route that I like, so decided to run to Calhoun Lake, run around the lake and come back.  Something in the neighborhood of 12 miles.  My Garmin 405 showed 45% battery, which used to be sufficient for a 12 mile run.  Apparently not anymore.

As the last recording indicates, the watch died 9.32 miles into my run just over one hour and thirteen minutes after I started.  That makes for a blazing 7:50 per mile.  That may not be Olympic material, but for me it is pretty awesome.  I have NEVER done under 8 minutes per mile on distances over 10 miles.  I am usually happy (thrilled) with any time under 9 minute/miles (as in 8:55 or 8:57).  This is a full minute faster!

But then the watch died.  So I will never know what my full PR was.  The distance is somewhat easier to calculate.  Since my run was an out-and-back kind of run, I can easily figure out the mileage missed in the recording (3.75), although that would make it 13.7 total miles and I have done this run many times before I I know it is not that long.  It appears the low battery has an effect on the measured distance too.

So to settle on the distance I went to one of my previous runs of that route and I called 12.65 miles for that distance.

The timing is trickier, because after the run I spend a few minutes stretching.  For that I counted songs.  I played Paint it Black by the Rolling Stones.  It played 3-1/2 times while I was stretching before I got to a watch I could trust.  All I had to do now was subtract 0:12:33 (0:03:35 x 3.5) from the current time to get my ending time.

That resulted in a total running time of 1:38:00 for an average pace of 7:45.  While it is suspicious that my last (unrecorded) miles would have an average pace faster then the previous 9, I do know that I was trying to press to finish strong even the in face of no recording device.

So I will call it a speed PR on over 12 miles at 7:45 and will place a figuratively asterisk next to it.

Morels!

Last year we missed out on the very short season for Morels at the farmer's market by the Guthrie.   This time we made sure to be there bright and early not to repeat the disappointment.

At $48 a pound, they are not cheap, but fit well into the once a year treat worth bringing into the kitchen (like Kobe beef, truffles, etc).  I did find them a little bit cheaper at the Wedge, but they were not nearly as fresh (those came from California instead of being local)

To make them justice, I pulled one of my favorite pasta recipes.  A flat noodle with asparagus, and a little bit of Manchego.  The best part is the sauce, which is made with yogurt and Meyer lemons (juice and zest) and lots of freshly cracked pepper.  The only addition were the morels sauteed in butter.  The yogurt and the lemon make for a very light pasta dish and the asparagus give it the spring taste that we have been craving through the long winter in Minnesota.  A great meal to enjoy with our friends John and Clark.

Sunday, May 15, 2011

Grand Breakfast at the Grand Cafe

For the second time in a few weeks, a group of us went to the Grand Cafe in Minneapolis after a walk/run around Lake Calhoun.  

The first time I tried their Kobe Brisket Corned Beef Hash  (an awesome value at $13).  It comes with two poached eggs, lots of potatoes, peas and whole grain mustard.  I thought it was very good.  Not the canned and sliced corned beef that you sometimes get at a restaurant, but the real and very delicious variety.  The dish was so big I could not finish it.  Sharon had their Huevos Rancheros (made with local pork confit) and she liked them a lot.

This time I ordered their Eggs Benedict (left) which come with a choice of ham or house-made gravlax (I went with the latter), sauteed asparagus (which come deliciously crispy and fresh), hollandaise sauce and potatoes.  One of the best and most satisfying Eggs Benedict I have had recently (and I order them a lot).  This is a dish I will need to go back to try again.


Birdie ordered something I had been eyeing on both visits to this very fine establishment, the Eggs en Cocotte (below).

Beautifully poached eggs with puff pastry, Italian ham, truffle cream (oh my gosh) and Comte Gruyere cheese.  It looked great and Birdie said it was good, eggy and soothing.  Although she did mention that it was a tad bland or a least lacking of a punch that the Italian ham and even the truffle cream failed to deliver.  Still, she liked them and recommended them for somebody looking for an egg breakfast.

This is the type of place that I love to frequent for breakfast.  It has an original menu that is creative, appetizing and very well executed.  All at a reasonable price. Really... what's not to like.

AdiZero Adios

After my last pair of shoes retired, I replaced them with a pair of Adidas adiZero Adios racing flats.  I LOVE them.  They are beautiful, very red and very light (8 oz.).  They have since also come down in price considerably (under $50 bucks at Amazon).  They are a pair of minimalistic type of shoe in that they are light and provide little cushioning to discourage heel striking, althoug they don't go as far as the Bikilas, also an awesome pair of shoes.

In researching for this post, I learned that this shoe was worn by Haile Gebrselassie when he ran a world record 02:03:58 and it is made with environmentally-responsible, solvent-free synthetic Tirennina suede. So there!

Custom Orthotics

About once a year, usually following my last long training run before a marathon (23 miles), I end up with a sore ankle.  After a couple of visits to my family doctor, she recommended I get custom orthotics. I first resisted the idea, but after I almost missed running Tokyo Marathon, a race that required I get a cortisone shot to get to the start line, I started thinking that maybe I need to take a look at them (OK, it also helped to know that my medical insurance, which I rarely make use of, would cover 90% of the cost.)

After talking with a doctor specialized in running injuries and having a nurse make custom molds f my feet, I finally got the insoles in the mail.  I have since run twice on them and can't really say I am crazy about them.  They certainly do not feel custom made (perhaps I got somebody else's ;-)  They feel a little heavy, not as breathable as the original shoe insoles (they make my feet hot, something I rarely feel otherwise) and somewhat rigid.  

Still, I am committed to give them a fair shot.  I will increase length slowly and eventually do my longest runs with them as I train and probably during marathons as well.  As they say, I am not getting any younger, so perhaps with some help I can eliminate my one injury a year.

Saturday, May 14, 2011

Bar La Grassa

Last night Sharon and I went to see a friend perform at the Xelias Aerial Arts Studio in NE.  Xelias is a place to provide circus training to students who later perform for an audience.  The show was about an hour and included about a dozen mini-performances.  Our friend joined another three ladies towards the end of on the hammock tissue.  The show was terrific in every way.  Highly recommended.

Following the performance, we went to Bar La Grassa, whose chef, Isaac Becker, was just recently honored with the 2011 James Beard Best Chef - Midwest Award.  Isaac Becker co-owns 112 Eatery as well as this, recently opened Italian restaurant.

We started with raw Asparagus with Foie Gras (top picture).  They were thinly shaved (both the asparagus and the foie) and tossed with very crispy bacon bits and some light dressing.  The dish was served cold, and it was very refreshing to start the meal.  We followed that with a Wild Boar Sopressata Bruschetta which we really enjoyed.

Not photographed were the two pasta dishes: Pappardelle with Veal Ragu and Farfalle with Braised Tripe and Sweetbreads.  The latter provided one of the tomato sauce high points of my life (if there is such a thing).

To close, we ordered an Olive Oil Cake with Grapefruit (left).  First I will say that we were pleased with the small portion size (which we shared).  Finally a Chef who understands that dessert is not meant t be a whole meal following the one you just had.  The cake was moist, sweet, and the very slight olive oil taste complimented the grapefruit beautifully.

Overall a terrific meal and a reminder to frequent this great establishment.  I will close with a recommendation for those coming for the first time to order the Creamy Polenta from the Contorny (side dishes), one of their best dishes to accompany a pork or seafood dish.

Friday, May 6, 2011

Hazel's Northeast Popping where Pop used to be

Last Saturday, Sharon and I had a chance to try Hazel's Northeast.  This is the place that opened where Pop! A Restaurant used to be in Minneapolis at 2859 Johnson St NE. 

For me that was a bad start, since I liked Pop very much (particularly their salmon burger, which I thought was the best in town and I hope they still serve at their location in St Paul), but I can't really blame them for that.  I am pretty sure they didn't muscle that other restaurant out of the locale.

The place looks just about the same as Pop used to look.  We were thinking about having breakfast, but by the time we got there, it was late enough that we ended up sharing two lunch sandwiches.

I ordered The Traveler (above), a brisket, caramelized onion and horseradish sandwich.  I thought it was very good.  The onion was sweet, the beef was tender and the bread was nicely toasted with good fries that didn't taste like the frozen kind.  If I have a criticism was that the horseradish was rather mild.  Funny enough, Sharon's half was way to spicy because of the horseradish (as in way, way to spicy, to the point she did not finish it).

Sharon ordered a bacon, cheddar and egg burger that was served with syrup on the side to make it more of a brunch menu item.  I will admit that we didn't try adding the syrup, but after having eaten it, I can see how it might have gone well.  The bun was buttery, the patty juicy and the egg appropriately cooked to be inside a sandwich.

Overall, I thought it was a good meal, although I will have to do some convincing to get Sharon to come again after her horseradish overdose.  I think it is worth some negotiation.

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

A Windy 26.2 - The Eau Claire Marathon Report

If it wasn't because of the high wind, this might have been just as good a forecast as I could have hoped for a marathon.  Cloudy and between high 30's and low 40's.  With up to 24 mph winds, the windchill was in the low 20's.  Still not bad if you have appropriate clothing, until you head into the wind, that is.

The start was a little hectic for me.  I got up at 4:00 AM the morning of the race and was out the door by 5:30 AM.  Drove for 1:45 to make it to Carson Park in Eau Claire with 45 minutes to spare.  Seems like plenty of time, but the parking area was about 1/2 mile from the start line and the lines at the porta-potties were long.  By the time I was ready to rock and roll, it was just under 5 minutes to the gun.  I like to have more time than that to get into 'the zone', so as soon as we got started, stress got the best off me and I started a tad too fast.


A few miles later I calm down and finally get in the mood for a long run.  The wind is really not that bad and the hills are not too steep.  The altitude chart showed most of the hills (several u and down) in teh first 12 miles and then pretty much flat to the end, so by the time I was hitting mile 11 I felt I had it in my pocket.  Here I am nearly 10 minutes ahead of my time and feeling great.  This wind is really nothing.

And then I enter the wind tunnel. And a long one it was.  From mile 11 to mile 19, I basically run into the wind.  It was cold, a tiny bit of snow and it felt like running uphill non-stop.  The picture at right was taken by Lela, a co-worker who was going to run the race had it not been for a stress injury a few weeks before the race.  This is at mile 15 and you can see me leaning forward into the wind to try cut my way into it.

It was pretty miserable.  By mile 18, I wanted to quit pretty bad and it took all the mental toughness I could muster to keep going.  It also helped that between mile 18 and mile 23 I didn't see any easy way to drop out of the race and get a ride to the finish.   By mile 23 I have sufficiently payed my dues and it is really not worth quitting anymore, so I kept going.

My final official time was 4:13:42.  Really not bad given the weather.  Under normal conditions I usually estimate a 4:10 to 4:20 completion time, so right within my expectations.  I do wonder what my time would have been with good weather, but then again that is not here no there.  I can also winder what my time would have been had I been training longer, since I was younger or if I had longer legs ;-)

After the finish, I get a ride to my car by a young woman riding a very small YMCA bus.  I ask her for a good place to have breakfast close by and she recommends the Altoona Family Restaurant.  Before heading back to Minneapolis I make a brief stop there and reload carbs and protein in the for of Eggs Commodore (Eggs Benedict with sausage patties instead of ham) and hash-browns.  The breakfast really hits the spot and nearly makes me fall asleep on the drive back.

All an all a good race.  Glad I drove there and took a look at a new route.  Now I can rest until October.  I have a few other races before then, but no other Marathon until Twin Cities.   Time to kick back and relax for a few day...