California Dreaming

This is La Jolla Shores beach, where my family and I are staying for 2 weeks while waiting for "Baby Rubinstein" to be born. It is gorgeous, especially at sunset when I go running. The beach is about a mile long of densely packed sand, making running easy and nice on the joints. I watch dozens of surfers in wetsuits waiting for waves while I sweat it out to shuffle on my ipod. 

I looked up Coffee House Running Clubs in La Jolla and San Diego, but it turns out, we really are the only one! I did, however, find a 15K trail race February 1st that I plan to do. See link at the title above. I will keep you posted!

As for my new niece, I am already planning our Saturday runs together-she in the baby jogger, wearing her mini Team Joe t-shirt, leading the way! My brother already bought me the baby jogger as my "Baby Auntie" gift! I was so excited when he told me yesterday! It is the gift that gives back(to him). I have promised him every Saturday, from 8:30am-12:30pm, he is a free man forevermore!

Speaking of Team Joe, it seems that, though I am gone, people still came out today in NYC for a Team Joe run! I am so proud! 

Thinking of you all!

Kryssie Kristine Houston Marathon

This is a photo of Kryssie and Kristine (and some other random new friend they met while running) after the Houston Marathon! Incredible! it's as if they didn't even run!

Kristine ran her first marathon yesterday in, get this, 3:28:11, coming in 7th in her age group(I'm not telling which one that is..)!!

Kryssie also ran her first Marathon in 3:32, coming in 5th in her age group!

I got a text yesterday directly after the race from Kristine, saying, "I feel perfect...".  It seems someone has discovered the runner's high. That's my Bumblebee!

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Also a shout out to Phoenix(Holla!) where Ani Go and Mayumi ran together in 4:02! Teamwork, Ladies! Nice one!

Go Joe!

Year of the Ox!

Yes, it's true. You know me - I look for any excuse to celebrate. I may be Jewish, but once a year I am also Chinese, sometimes Irish, maybe even a little bit Puerto Rican. If there's food and drink involved, and there's a toast to be made, I'll drink to that!

This year, my Chinese friends tell me, is my year! I have to say, so far so good. 

healthy: check!

running: check!

great friends: check!

I know it's only been 2 weeks, but here's hoping the good news continues.

As for Chinese New Year, check out the link above. If you haven't been to Jin Fong for dim sum or had  giant bowl of roast pork noodle soup at N.Y, Noodle Town (sigh!), or waited in long lines for the fat and delicious soup dumplings at Joe's Shanghai, folks, you are wasting away your precious lives.

Just a thought.

Post Marathon Lazies

I have to apologize for not writing since the Marathon. I guess after than much buildup, training, talking, finally completing, celebrating and healing, I just needed some space. It's not you, it's me. Really. You're a great guy, but...oops, wrong speech..

I have to say that the first week of November was of the the best weeks ever! 1. Ran and survived the Marathon, beat my goal time, had a great day, 2. Obama, and 3. Spain for a week, where I was no longer embarrassed to be American on foreign soil. In the old days, if traveling abroad, and someone asked me if I voted for Bush, I'd just say I was Canadian. Is that so wrong?

Anyway, I have been moderately running again, and I tell ya, I already cannot believe I could have run a Marathon only 6 weeks ago! Anyway, I promised my Mom I would retire from Marathon running, and a promise is a promise, so I am going back to halfs and tris. Already some of Team Joe will be running the 10 mile Cherry Blossom Festival Race in DC April 5th. Should be glorious! It sold out in about 2 hours! Wild! I also signed up for the NYC Triathlon again. Last year I missed out, but this year I waited up on October 31st till the church bells tolled midnight and signed up, scoring a spot. 22 minutes later, it was full, or so the rumors have it.

Today was a Team Joe run day. However, it was slushy, icy, treacherous! I cancelled the run in favor of brunch and a movie with some Team Joesters. In years past, I would have battled it out against the elements. Maybe Steve Bookman would have showed and we would have run around Washington Square Park about 50 times. But now it seems I've gone soft. I hope I haven't disappointed anyone. These days, the idea of sitting on a stationary bike, listening to Heartless Bastards or Grateful Dead and reading whatever recent sci-fi embarrassment for my intelligence I am reading sounds superfine to me! 

Somebody stop me!

Ugh! Marathon! ugh! Grunt!

rrr...ggrrrr...hurumph! Drool....uuuuuhhhhh....ooowwww!!!! Wowwww!!!

And that's pretty much how it went.

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OK, now I'm ready to dish. Had a hot shower, hot soup, hot sex...oh, no, that was the dream I had while I was nodding off in my soup. Darn.

So, I'm gonna tell it to you straight. No adornments. Just the facts. Cause I'm ready to pass the #@$*& out!

I got up at 5:45(really 6:45). Made coffee, my first thought on any given day; made oatmeal;ate a hard boiled egg with the oatmeal..maybe I should fast forward to the good stuff.

So, I get to Staten Island at 8. I was with Miss Ani Go & Diana for the ride down and we huddled in the low 40's degree weather to keep warm.  It was chilly! 

The race this year was uber-organized! There had to be "like" 1000 "Johnny on the Spots" (aka "porta-potties"! And they were fancy schmancy ones! Actual toilet paper and hand sanitizer!

Sorry, back to the story. I started my run with a couple of menfolk, Bill and Bob. They were very kindly and we ran a couple miles together, but when it comes to racing, everyone's your best friend before and after the race, but during, it's every Gabby for herself.

The run felt fresh until mile 23. The crowds were out in droves! Special thanks goes out to the lady with the peeled banana around mile 23. May G-d bless you and keep you. May G-d shine his radiance upon you and bring you 10 sons. 

I saw lots of friends on the course, including from Team Joe, Riccke, Lysa, Kristine & Kryssie. Plus I saw my friend/manager from work, Carrie, and my brother! I admit I may have lost about 30 seconds stopping for hugsies, but it gave me the boost to finish with a smile on my face. 

Around mile 18, my left quad got seizy( new word), but I just thought to myself, "It's only another 8 to go. That's nothing! Think of all the delicious mochi you can eat afterwards!" And it worked! I finished very well! Click above to see my times. I finished in 4:04:05..BUT, my age graded time is 4:00:39. Now, if anyone knows what that's all about, please comment and let me know. Is a time not a time not a time? Is there sci-fi going on? Because I am 35, am I so old that 4 minutes gets shaved off my time? I can't walk around telling people my time was 4:00:39! Then again...

Anyway, I walked off the muscle cramping after the race, after I thanked heavens I was done and told myself I will never run a Marathon again(again). I walked for 1:40, because that's how crowded the streets were! However, the walking helped ease my sore muscles, and by the time I got home, I was barely sore at all! Yay!

I met some friends for drinks at 5, and am now home at 8:30. Not a bad day, all in all! Race, friends, food, drinks!

Plus, we raised about $1500 for Breast Cancer Research! 

Thanks everyone for your support, monetarily, emotionally, and any other -ally you can think of.

I'm going to sleep! 

food disappointments...and yes, i do eat that!

staying in, nice and cozy on a damp and windy day...

2 food disappointments in the last couple of weeks:

1) after THE BIG 20-MILE RUN Gabs & i, a few of our friends, and my hubby, went out for dim sum. YAY!!! we went to one of the biggest restaurants (on elizabeth st.) in chinatown expecting to drown in a bountiful feast of dim sum as a reward for running. what wasnt expected was the frantic chasing down of dim sum carts in a dining room the size of a football field and the knocking down of little old chinese grandmas to get food. UGH. somehow our stomachs got filled and there was actually chicken feet to be found. FANTASTIC! what an ordeal. next time we go to my usual place off mott st.

2) i told all my friends about the wonderful hot chocolate that the four seasons serve to the runners at the terry fox 5k race as an incentive to get them to do the race with me. and this wasnt a lie, the spread they have is one of the best ive had in any race aside from the cow harbour 10k (there's beer for the finishers!!!). so what happens? no hot chocolate for the folks who waited to have it after they finished the race. who be the man? not me. who be the doofus? that'll be me. had to go shuffling to starbucks for hot chocolate later. sad.

part 2 of the dim sum episode...we went to the chinatown ice cream factory, and that was good. around the corner from there is a place that i like for some (acquired taste) asian desserts. like grass jelly. which i love. and yes, i bought that. and ate it! with a generous drizzle of sugar syrup. refreshing!

marathon training and burnout...and food

it seems that in the last couple of weeks before the marathon, my friends and i are starting to show wear and tear from the weeks (and weeks and weeks...) of training. its time to taper, and we should be feeling good, but i got the worst cold right after my last 20miler with Gabs...and another 2 friends of mine are having ankle/shin/tendon issues. Di went to my sports dr and he diagnosed her with bursitis (! she asked...isnt that something old people get?! but no, its not). it seems to me that we actually need these weeks to recover from all the hard training, rather than resting up for a good race. maybe im just thinking that right now because im crabby that its 2:30am and im still up.

here is my contribution to the food section: http://www.basupperclubandcafe.com/

went there for lunch today! and here is somebody's review of it: http://midtownlunch.com/blog/2008/10/23/day-1-lunch-at-the-bon-appetit-pop-up-cafe-cora-batali-john-best-psilakis-new-york-city-ny/#more-2388

some of the comments are from folks who sound jaded and sour. accusations of others being "self righteous sheep" i think comes from someone who is insecure about their own taste. i just love food and trying new things. does that make me a sheep? or self righteous? why do i even care? enough of that!!!

time for bed. there will be more running this weekend and more food exploits all weekend long. and coffee. i love coffee! :)

(and Gabby. i love her too.)