Food and Fit

Adventure Racing 2012

2012-01-17T22:03:00.001-05:00

As some of you probably noticed, last year was the year of the "adventure race." This new trend has been around for some time, but it didn't take off until just recently. My first adventure race was only 2 summers ago when my roommates and I signed up for the Filthy 5K Mud Run featured in Dominion's Riverrock weekend here in RVA. Now there are hundreds of adventure races all over the country, and of course one of the most renowned races - Tough Mudder - one of the most challenging.

But this year isn't about conquering the toughest adventure race or surpassing some type of endurance goal. No, my resolution was to try new races and new workouts to keep up with my fitness standards. Which is why I want to share with you a few new adventure races that I will be participating in this year. Time to get down and dirty all over again...

One of the first new races of the year is called Hero Rush. It's a 5k+ firefighter-inspired obstacle course race full of ladders, poles and lots of fire. I'm a little nervous about this one, but I think I can do it. Plus, I get to pretend I'm a firefighter for the day. Event better, the event supports the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation, a national charity that supports the families and fire departments of fallen firefighters. I always try to sign up for races that support a good cause and this one is one of my favorites.

Hero Rush is offering a DC-Maryland area race on April 28th this year. To sign up, go to www.herorush.com and register. Sign up before February 3rd to beat the price increase!!! I'll be there with my game face on!

The next adventure race I signed up for is the Mud Warrior. Thanks to Livingsocial, I was able to snag a pretty cheap race ticket to this 8k military-style obstacle course race. Supposedly this one is like a "mini Tough Mudder," plus it's in mid-April near Charlottesville, VA, so I imagine it will be quite chilly. Again, this is another race that supports a good cause - the HOPE Foundation, that helps to fight poverty and reduce homelessness by building stronger and better communities. It's also local - based out of Charlottesville, VA, my old college stomping grounds (wahoo-wah!!!). Check it out... and sign up for the race while you are at it.

I look forward to participating in these events. Any new adventure is worth it to me and I can't wait to conquer two new adventure races this year. I also plan to race the Merrell Down and Dirty 10K mud run since I signed up for it last year and then skipped it due to a back injury. So technically it's a "new" race for me. Fingers crossed I don't miss out again this year!

New Year, New Resolutions

2012-01-07T17:34:00.000-05:00

Finally, the holidays are over and I'm back to a normal schedule. No more holiday parties and baking loaves of pumpkin bread. I just got back down to my normal weight that I've maintained for the past 2 or 3 years, thankfully. All is right with the world.

So what's next? I conquered Tough Mudder, passed my PMP exam, completed 14 races in 2011 (2 more than my original goal) and migrated to a full-time apple user with my new mac book air and iphone 4s (thank you John!). It was a good year and I'm very pleased with my accomplishments. What made the end of 2011 even better is my new years promotion at work! I'm now a Project Manager / Process Engineer in Human Resources at my company.

So now that it's 2012, I need to set a few more goals. When I list resolutions, I really means goals. I think that word sends a better message. Goals are more motivating to me and I tend to stick with them, plus they can be super small and repeated. So below I've listed my goals for 2012. Hooyah!

1. Become proficient in my new role. While I have managed many projects in my career, leading projects that really make a business impact is what I want to achieve. I want to be comfortable with PM terminology like it's the back of my hand, and become meticulous with my documentation by using the right tools. I am nervous of the unknown, but excited to take on the challenge.

2. Try new workouts and races. I've already signed up for a "barre" class and I bought the living social deal to Crossfit here in RVA. Two new things already on the list for 2012! I want to continue trying new things when it comes to physical activity. For the past several years I've been a consistent run/bike/swim and weight trainer. I threw in a few Bikram Yoga classes here and there, plus a SEAL team course, but that's about it. I also want to sign up for new races. I didn't get into the Cherry Blossom 10 Miler unfortunately, but I signed up for a "mini Tough Mudder" race in Cville for April, plus I plan on racing Cville's 10 miler too.

3. Discover new recipes and restaurants. I'm the type of cook that throws everything into a pot and hopes for the best. I love discovering a new meal just by mistake. But I also need to try a few new recipes too. Everyone knows I LOVE to go out to eat but this year I want to try new places. I went to Roosevelt down in Church Hill before the new year, so that doesn't count. I want to try Pasture, Kenn Tico, Stella's, and Ironfish for sure. There are so many more - thank god there's plenty of days in the year!

I'll leave my goals at that for now. I noticed my "new things" theme when writing this post, hence the title. There will be plenty more I'm sure. So with that, I wish you all a Happy New Year and good luck in your goals as well!

Winter Wrap Up

2011-12-08T21:40:00.001-05:00

It's a shame I don't discipline myself to update my blog more, I just don't have time. That's a lie really - I find time to read my InStyle magazine and watch Battlestar Galactica episodes on Netflix with John every night, so I can obviously find the time to chat about my food and health adventures.

HCA 8K

To start, I wrapped up my 2011 race season with 2 more races in November. I ran the HCA 8k instead of the half marathon this year since I didn't feel like doing anything too challenging after Tough Mudder. The 8k was so much fun - it's the perfect race distance ever. Just short enough to not hurt, but long enough to feel like a decent workout. Kali and I ran in our Tough Mudder orange sweat bands just to show off a bit. Only one guy called us out and that was it. So much for being a badass.

The last race was the Turkey Trot 10K on the University of Richmond's campus. It's quite the hilly course. Lots of ups and downs, but it was an absolutely beautiful day - cool, crisp, sunny and a slight breeze. Kali and I didn't train at all for this race but we finished in 56 minutes - 9 minute miles, so I'm pretty satisfied. Ironically, this race was on the 1-year anniversary of my broken arm (during a trail run on Thanksgiving with John), AND it was my 13th race of the year. No injuries this year, thank god!

I'll probably run in the Toys for Tots this Sunday just to even out my race count to 14 total (16 that I signed up for but did not race in 2 of them). Plus it's for a good cause and something to do.

So to continue my race mode, I just signed up for my first race in 2012! The Cherry Blossom 10 Miler in DC. My friend Liz and I put our names in the lottery to see if we'll get in. I certainly hope so. 10 Milers are very challenging but not as painful as a half marathon. And since I really don't do long distance running races anymore, 10 miles is perfect. I'd rather do triathlons after that!

So what else have I been up to now that winter is here? Cooking of course! It's crockpot season! Naturally I turn to my favorite blogger of all time, Jenna of Eat Live Run. She literally has the best recipes and photos I've ever seen and tasted. Her writing is excellent and her lifestyle is exactly how I want mine (if only I could afford those Frye boots she wears!). I just tried her sweet potato lentil soup in the crockpot because it was completely effortless. If you love Trader Joes as much as I do, then you would understand how easy they make it to be a good cook. I got almost all the ingredients I needed for this one recipe on the first isle of the store - lentils, cubed sweet potatoes, fresh rosemary, chopped onions, celery, carrots and garlic - and I added chicken sausage to my soup for some added protein. Throw it all in the crock pot with 64 oz of chicken broth and voila - I'd say a pretty healthy and hearty soup ready for dinner!

Then there's the not-so-healthy pizza, but fun to make with Brett! We roll out the dough and I let him go to town with the pizza sauce all over the dough. Then the toppings. This time we tried prosciutto, spinach and arugula topped with 5-italian cheese and goat cheese. Brett actually enjoyed the prosciutto so he put some on his "side." YUM.

Tomorrow I'm going to make another Eat Live Run recipe with cubed butternut squash and quinoa. I'll probably add yet another protein to the dish - most likely baked wild alaskan salmon filets. John's favorite.

More to come - hopefully sooner rather than later!

Vacation like a boss

2011-11-03T21:50:00.001-04:00

Ah, vacation. Glorious vacation. I must say, since the stress and hard work of training for TM and studying for the PMP exam, this vacation is highly anticipated and very much welcomed. Down here in Florida, it's sunny blue skies with the high temp of 80 degrees at the peak hours of the day. It feels absolutely wonderful, not humid nor too hot. Since we've been down here, I've laid by the pool, done a little work, light reading and of course an afternoon run before dinner. I've never felt so relaxed.

Before this trip, I tacked on a quick trip to Disney World to once again attend Epcot's 16th annual International Wine and Food Festival with my former roommates, Talley and Christine. I arrived in Orlando mid-day Sunday, made it to the hotel, and since Talley and Christine were out at the parks (they went down a day ahead of me), I decided to relax by the hotel pool and take my time getting ready before our amazing dinner at Ohana at the Polynesian Resort. This is our second year taking this trip and I hope to make it a tradition from now on. Just the 2 short days is all I need, and it's a total blast.

Ohana serves amazing selections of meats similar to Texas de Brazil but definitely fancier. The steak and shrimp are my favorite, followed by the wings and their amazing dipping sauces to go with them. Since we had collected a bit of money from our old apartment's security deposit, we used the money for our trip to Disney World, so basically the meal was free (okay, not really but at least it felt like it!).

Then there's the festival. This year had some of the same items as last year's menu but thank god because many of them were absolutely amazing, like the lamb sliders with tomato chutney from New Zealand, the escargot wrapped in filo dough from France, and of course the sushi-grade salmon and tuna sensation with chunks of fresh avocado drizzled in soy sauce from Japan. To-die for, let me tell you. Then there were a few new treats such as the lamb chop with goat cheese potato salad from Australia, the seared filet of beef with sweet potato puree from South Africa, spicy shrimp taco from Mexico, and the Kefta (beef stuffed pita) from Morocco. All were absolutely incredible. It's the best food festival I've ever been to. Then there's the Eat to the Beat concert series and every year our favorite band Hanson performs during the festival. We basically revolve our trip around this concert and the festival, lets be honest. We've loved Hanson since the days of MMMBop and I can't believe 14 years later, we're still attending their shows. This year, they performed on Halloween, so what did they come out on stage dressed as? STORM TROOPERS! I LOVE Star Wars so this completely made my day. See a shot of Taylor Hanson below for a lovely visual. So much fun!

So, once I got back from Disney World, I turned around and headed right back to Ft. Myers, Florida with John the very next morning (I did not plan this, it was truly an accident that I booked these flights back-to-back, I swear). We enjoyed lunch at the club, pool time and relaxation. I decided to cook a nice meal for our first night at the condo instead of going out to dinner. My friend Liz brought me squid ink black linguine from Italy when she was traveling with her family on vacation. I saved the linguine and decided to take it with me to Florida so I could make a dish called "Love Mussels" that Liz recommended from allrecipes.com. The recipe was super simple - shallots, green onion, garlic, capers and Italian seasoning to eventually make an incredible marina sauce. Throw in fresh mussels (and I added shrimp), let it simmer; the mussels open up in the sauce and then pour over the black linguine. Voila! Or should I say, "Mangia!"

So, what's next? Well, we are heading to Miami tomorrow for a weekend getaway and wedding of a friend of John's. We are staying a swank hotel we booked using a Groupon deal, pretty pleased about that. Should be a lot of fun! How am I ever going to get back into the swing of things back in RVA after this wonderful vacation? I'll tell you how... by signing up for 2 more races this month. To motivate me during vacation and the upcoming holidays, I signed up for both the HCA 8K that occurs during the Richmond Marathon weekend and the RRRC Turkey Trot 10K on Thanksgiving Day. It'll be a great workout before I down a huge feast at my parent's house. Gotta keep up the races to stay motivated... it really works!

So that's all for now... glad I can finally find the time to update my blog. Although I'm pretty sure no one reads it, at least I can record my food and fitness experiences somewhere special to me... And if you do read this - hope you enjoy!

I'm a Tough Mudder and a PMP!

2011-10-29T10:26:00.000-04:00

I did it. I made it through the toughest week of this year, and I rocked it!!! Not only did I survive Tough Mudder, I passed my PMP exam too! It has been such an overwhelming past few months, and now I feel like I can finally slow down and enjoy life. I have spent the last 4 months studying for this exam and focusing on work and races. It's been completely worth it. Setting goals for my health, career and mind have always been what motivates me in life and keeps me moving forward. Plus I'm off on a week and a half-long vacation to Florida as my reward!

I'm going to Disney World tomorrow for the Int'l Food and Wine festival in Epcot. My old roommates and I went last year and had so much fun, we had to do it again. I can't wait to see what's on the menus this year! I fly back Tuesday and turn right around Wednesday back to Florida, except we are going to Ft Myers for vacation. THEN we are heading down to Miami for the weekend to a wedding. I got this great Groupon deal for a 2-night stay at a fancy hotel and spa credits. It's going to be fabulous and I can't wait to enjoy every bit of it. Speaking of which... I think I will go get a pedicure today to continue my celebrations of passing the PMP exam and finishing the TM. My toes need some love!!!

After vacation I'll be finally back to normal. Since race season is over (other than an upcoming 8k and perhaps a holiday 5k here and there), I have no I idea what I'll do to focus my exercise. I guess I will go back to normal cross-training, maybe take a few Bikram Yoga classes or try something new. I've been hearing so much about Pure Yoga, I wish there was a studio here in Richmond to see what it's all about. I also want to consider Cross Fit. I keep hearing amazing things about this style of workouts too - an old high school friend of mine who does Cross Fit looks absolutely incredible, which motivates me too. So many decisions - I've got all winter to try a few things out!

Winter also means lots of cooking and baking! I've already made my pumpkin muffins but I'm sure I'll be making a few more loaves of pumpkin bread in the near future. I recently made a white chicken chili that was amazing - and the seasoning came from a Sauer's seasoning pack so I was surprised it tasted so good! I'll have to look up a few new things to try this winter too, particularly crockpot recipes that I want to throw together in the morning before work and then come home to. Of course my usual crockpot chili and blondie soup recipes will be used regularly this season too.

Anyway - more to come later, but just wanted to share my accomplishments with anyone who cares. It's been one hell of a ride but I'm so glad I did it!

Tough Mudder Jitters

2011-10-20T16:50:00.001-04:00

I can't believe it's upon us. Tough Mudder is the day after tomorrow and I'm so not prepared. When I first signed up, I was so into the training and mentally preparing myself for this race. Now that it's here, I'm not at all in the mental or physical shape I had imaged. First of all, I didn't train for the distance AT ALL. The longest distance I ran was 8 miles about 2 weeks ago. I've hit a few 5 or 6 milers here and there but that's about it. Then, last weekend I did a few hill repeats and injured my back pretty bad. I've been having back issues all year, and this one of course happened a week before the race. I haven't done a lick of exercise since last Saturday in an effort to heal, and I'd say today is the first day my back has felt better. I can still feel a small bit of soreness in the spinal muscles, but nothing that will stop me from attempting to finish Tough Mudder.

So, in an effort to mentally prep myself, I decided to go out and buy a really cool outfit. For the legs, Reebok cold compression full length leggings. For the top, O'Neill surf shirt - mock turtle neck with insulated panels in the front and back to help keep water off my skin and dry super fast. Not to mention I'm hoping it will be a bit of a barrier for the ice water we have to jump into (FML). Gloves, I decided to go with kayaking gripper hydro-gloves, seems are not sealed off, but when I ran them under the faucet, barely any water came through the seams, and they feel great on my hands (like they are my own hands but with more grip and protection). Let's hope they stay on until the greased-up monkey bar obstacle.

I plan on wearing old running shoes and probably bringing my goggles too just in case. There's a LOT of water and since I wear contacts, I figure it's safer to keep them around my neck. If I don't use them, who cares. Honestly, I'm dreading this race, but if I complete it, I'll have conquered a huge race and epic win for me personally. Yet another item to check off the bucket list, if I survive that is... Wish me luck!!!

Race Season Wrap Up

2011-10-02T22:56:00.000-04:00

Wow I need to update my blog more but I just don't have time. Work, family and races fill my days with just enough time to shower, eat, study for my PMP exam, and maybe a little bit of relaxing on top of race training workouts. But when I do have time, writing my blog gets pushed to the bottom, below the cleaning and chores, and shopping for a new couch.

So lots of things have happened since my last post. I wrapped up this year's triathlon season with the Naylor's Beach sprint triathlon down in Warsaw. It was a lot of fun - I got to wear my first wetsuit! These two lovely ladies helped me get in my suit and swim around before the race. The water was about 72 degrees, and the wetsuit kept the cold away. It also makes you very buoyant so you swim right on top of the water. What I didn't anticipate was that it made me claustrophobic. When our wave took off, I had a hard time getting my breathing under control. I basically took a break every other stroke to keep myself from panicking. It worked. I survived. Made it through the bike too - it was a very flat 15 mile course. Same with the run. Definitely looking forward to next year's tri season!

This past weekend I had yet another race. John and I competed in the Warrior Dash. A 3.5 mile obstacle course race with lots and lots of mud. The 12-foot wall-scaling was honestly the scariest thing I've ever done. I don't do well with heights, or maybe it's heights when I'm not secured and holding on to a rope with my feet on a very small ledge. We had a great time and finished in about 45 minutes. Pretty pleased. Got to eat an enormous turkey leg after the race, just like a Viking!

Let's see, what else... The weather is changing and fall is here. I love this season because of I get to wear boots and of course bake pumpkin-everything. I've already made pumpkin bread and huge pots of chili in the crockpot. Soon I'll make the pumpkin muffins like I do every year for my HR team at work.

So that's all for now, I'll update more when I can... Up next.... TOUGH MUDDER. Gulp.

End of summer recap

2011-09-04T16:40:00.000-04:00

It's Labor Day weekend and summer is coming to an end. This weekend means that school is starting back up, pumpkin will start filling up the grocery store shelves, I can start making crockpot chili again, and it's getting close to boot season (hurray!)... It also means my birthday, which was September 2nd. I'm 28 years old. Wow, I'm getting old... I have to say my 27th year was one of my favorites. I fell in love and achieved goals I never thought possible (my first triathlon for example). I'm definitely excited for this year too, as I hope to reach other huge goals in my life. Work-wise, I'm studying to become a Project Manager and receive my PMP credential. It took months just to document 4500 hours of project work over the course of my career, but now that my application is submitted, I'm even more determined to pass my PMP exam and develop my career. This probably explains my lack of blogging since I have been documenting projects and studying for my exam every night.

I've got some big races coming up at the end of race season that are pretty lofty goals too - Naylor's Beach Triathlon and the Tough Mudder. Holy cow that means I need to get focused on training for both! The triathlon is just 3 weeks away! Labor Day was when I started my 10-week training program for the Richmond Half Marathon last year. I haven't decided if I'm running the half again, since I'm not in running shape, but I should. It would be nice to keep up that tradition for a 3rd year in a row. We'll have to see how I fair when I get back into running. Today marked my first day back on the trail. John and I, plus my best friend Brian hit Buttermilk for a morning run. It was absolutely gorgeous. And then I fell. What is with me and trail runs? Do I not lift my feet high enough? Am I just plain clumsy? I preach to everyone else who are just starting out trail running to always watch for roots and rocks, but I never list to my own advice. Oh well... Just a gash on my knee, looks just like the one John got a year ago during our first training run.

Since I don't have any other updates on my fitness, I figured I'd share some food photos instead. I've been busy cooking and dining out all summer long. For starters, grilling has been a favorite past time of mine. I love to grill large portabella mushroom caps with different types of toppings. This time around I made marinara and parmesan caps and then crumbled goat cheese caps. Soooo good! I also have a great recipe for grilled shrimp a friend of mine gave me:

3 garlic cloves minced

1 medium yellow onion

1/4 c. fresh parsley minced

1/4 c. fresh basil minced

2 tsp. Dijon mustard

1 tsp. dry mustard

2 tsp. kosher salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/4 c. olive oil

juice of 1 lemon

2 # jumbo shrimp peeled and deveined ( you can keep the tails on if you want)
Combine the garlic,onion, parsley, basil, mustards, salt, pepper, olive oil, and lemon juice. Add the shrimp and allow them to marinate for 1 hour @ room temp or cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days.
Brush the grill w/olive oil. Skewer the shrimp. Grill for 1 1/2 minutes on each side. Grill should be med to hi heat!

And finally, for my birthday, instead of going out to dinner, I decided to cook. Sometimes I really enjoy a home-cooked meal, especially since I had been eating out every day riding up to my birthday due to Hurricane Irene. We lost power Saturday and didn't get it back until the night before my birthday. At that point I was done with eating out and was happy to be back home!!! While the photo doesn't do it justice, I made carne asada fajitas with black beans and avocado. The peppers were cooked down with a tough of cumin and salt/pepper/garlic. The marinaded beef and peppers came from Trader Joes, my favorite place to grocery shop, ever.

Later on tonight, Brett and I will be baking Sunflower seed cookies for my mom's 60th birthday, compliments of my favorite blogger, Jenna, who writes a blog called Eat, Live, Run. If you haven't read her blog or cooked her recipes, you are missing out my friend.

That's all for now. Happy Labor Day weekend everyone!

Hi, I'm a Mac.

2011-08-23T22:31:00.004-04:00

I'm so excited about my birthday present this year that I have to share the news on my blog too, even if it's not food or fitness related (and 2 weeks until my actual birthday).

This year, I asked for a really big gift, but I've stuck by my decision ALL YEAR. I have never been happier about my choice - a Macbook Air. I went for the 13 inch instead of 11 since I think I'm over the whole "small laptop" trend, but definitely still into the "light as a feather" idea. I now have a 2 lb laptop that's so thin- like a legal pad, and weighs about that much too. I've already set up preferences and settings but I have so much to learn. Thank god for John and his computer savvy skills. My favorite feature about a Mac is by far the ability to scroll without ever leaving the touch pad. What a great idea!

So... I'll stop rambling on, but just had to share my exciting news. I'm thrilled to be a Mac user once and for all.

Food and Fit Updates

2011-07-29T19:24:00.011-04:00

Since the Tavern triathlon, I've continued to cross-train and enjoy my time off. This past weekend, John and I had an activity-filled weekend. To start, we hit up SEAL team practice on Saturday morning. I have done SEAL team and X team training in the past, so I was excited when they offered a deal on Living Social that's more affordable then joining the full program. I wish I could afford it because I had a blast. Afterwards, we biked to the South of the James farmer's market and back. All of this before brunch. It felt great to be so productive and active first thing in the morning. And the bloody mary that followed was a great reward too. On Sunday, we started the morning off with the same energy, except this time we hit the road on our bikes for about 10 miles or so, then ran a mile downto the James River by Huguenot Flats. We decided to swim across the river and back. I'd say it was about 300-400 meters across, but Icould be off. We ran back afterwards, finishing our morning workout. I enjoyed this type of workout very much. Lots of variety and interesting things to see and do. Sunday brunch was even more tastier as a result. I took John to Kuba Kuba down in the fan. He had never been before and we both were craving California huevos rancheros, the best thing ontheir menu besides the tres leches cake. I even tried to re-create it this morning, which was pretty good but definitely not the same.

Admits all the intense workouts over the weekend, Monday morning did not bring good things. I had slightly rolled my ankle on the run the day before, so when we went on our usual 4 mile loop to Pony Pasture and back Monday morning, it started to act up. On top of that, my back has been off for a couple of months now. It keeps flaring up here and there and I'm unable to move my lower back for 2-3 days. I know I should listen to my Dad when he says I honestly have to rest longer in order for my back muscles to completely heal, but I don't want to listen. I've got the Merrell Down and Dirty 10k coming up in 3 weeks, and rest is not an option. But I guess should take my injury more seriously if I don't want to screw anything up permanently. I'll keep you posted on how it turns out.

So back to the food it is... This past

Thursday, a few of my UVA girlfriends went out for dinner and drinks at Blue Goat, a new restaurant on Grove Avenue, owned by the same guys who run Osaka, Sushi O, and Wild Ginger. I had heard mixed reviews so far, and I was dying to try it out myself. The atmosphere and location are excellent. The food was quite good too. I am not sure I would go back for a full-meal, but definitely a great bar scene to enjoy appetizers and cocktails. The ravioli was my favorite, followed by the fries with pork dust. I wasn't a fan of the pork cheeks, and the pig tail gorgonzola polenta had a weird gravy that overwhelmed the rest of the flavors I was looking for. Otherwise, I had a blast and I can foresee Blue Goat being the next big bar scene in the near west end.

Friday night I took my best friend to Lady Nawlins (thank you Living Social once again) for dinner and drinks. I love raw oysters so that was a great start to the meal. We split the sampler platter of jumbalaya, gumbo, and red beans and rice with shrimp. It was the perfect amount of food to split with someone and tasted great. Exactly what I wanted. We hung out at the bar after dinner and enjoyed a few drinks courtesy of Jack Laughterback. It was a nice evening out in the fan - haven't done that in a while.

So - what has the rest of the weekend brought? Other than work and back pain, I enjoyed a wonderful day at the beach with Brett, John and Nanny. We headed down to VA beach Saturday morning with no traffic. We had the best time playing on the beach near 31st street next to the Hilton. My favorite lunch spot during high school beach week was a sandwich deli shop called Taste Unlimited. John and I walked to 36th where we picked up a few "Northenders" and enjoyed our lunch on the beach. I of course had to buy the house dressing to take home. It's delicious. Our ride home had no traffic either. The other side of 64 was at a standstill. How lucky are we?

Tonight I made steak fajitas and I'm currently enjoying a glass of wine on the back deck while Brett and John play golf in the yard. Life's pretty good.

I Love the Tavern Triathlon

2011-07-07T21:51:00.008-04:00

I've got to work on updating my blog more often but so many other things come up that take priority. For starters, work has been super busy. I'm studying to become a PMP this year and OPEX Blue Belt certified. It's hard work but I absolutely love it. I just hope I do well and learn a lot.

On a personal note, I'm all moved in, and just got back from a wonderful family vacation down in Ft. Myers, Florida. John and I flew down last Wednesday thru Tuesday to celebrate the long holiday weekend. We read a lot, went on morning runs, played tennis at the club, went on the boat, went to the club pool, and enjoyed many tropical drinks and incredible seafood. It was a blast and very relaxing. I didn't bring my work laptop and for the first time, I was somewhat disconnected from work-hurray!

On the fitness front... I successfully completed my first open water triathlon 2 weeks ago! I was great. I loved the open water swim in the James River. The water temp was 83 degrees and outside it was only 66 by the time the race started at 7am. You could see the steam on the surface of the river just before the race. This year they reduced the swim distance to 400 meters but extended the bike to 18.5 miles. Fine by me since my swimming isn't all that great. In fact, I'm pretty bad. The bike ride was beautiful... Mostly country road with farms and animals; plenty of hills and one gigantic hill at the turn-around point that honestly took my breath away. I thought I was going to have to walk my bike up the hill because I was pedaling so slow - but I made it!

The run was a trail run thank god. I love trail running so as soon as I hit the 5k, I was in heaven. And by heaven I mean I couldn't feel my legs at all, but I somehow managed to grit through it. When I came out of the woods and saw the finish line, I was happy as a lark. Or insane from exhaustion as you can see I'm smiling like crazy in my running photo. All in all, it was a great race and I can't wait to do it again next year. The atmosphere is friendly and casual, with lots of athletes from all levels. I felt very comfortable and welcomed. I highly recommend this race to anyone!

Tri-ready in 6 days

2011-06-20T21:23:00.010-04:00

So I thought I'd quickly share the fact that I have my first open water Triathlon coming up this Sunday (June 26th) and I haven't really trained for it at all. I have been so busy with work and life that I haven't been tri-focused during any of my workouts. Yeah, I run, bike, swim and lift on a regular basis, but I have not been mentally preparing myself for what's to come, until today, 6 days before the race.

But let's back up a bit. The past few weeks have been quite busy. For one, I was recently pulled into a project team at work where my role is to provide feedback, research and present the best options on how to design our new fitness center at work. we are moving to a new building next year and I am on our health and wellness team to support the move. What a cool project, right? It certainly has been fun to research and find best practices related to corporate fitness centers, but also very time consuming with the tight deadlines. I never imagined I'd get to help design a fitness center at my company as part of my ad hoc projects for the year, but here I am! It's been a great experience so far.

On top of work, I'm also moving. I'm finally out of the fan and into the suburbs, and moving has been quite the time vacuum. Between packing, cleaning, unpacking and cleaning some more, plus coordinating utility deactivation's and the like at my old place, then errands and furniture planning... It seems my life (and work) has been nothing but residential and commercial interior design these days - at least it's something I enjoy!

So... between work and life, training for this triathlon has been put on the back burner just a bit. I still work out almost every day, but these past few weeks they are not as intense, and I skip a day here and there. This weekend I didn't even consider working out during the move, and I only squeezed in a 5k on Friday afternoon on a treadmill. Ah well.

So what better to the week than to do a mini triathlon... er... not really. I went to spin during my lunch break, then followed up with a 400-500 meter swim after work in the James River at Robious Landing Park (where my triathlon will be on Sunday), then a short 2 mile fast run. It felt great today. Even though it wasn't a full triathlon and quite spread out, it felt great to get out there and hang out with other amazing athletes. It definitely brought me back to the place I want to be - excited about working out, and not finding excuses to skip. I look forward to the opportunity to get my heart rate up and sweat a little. What a feeling.

The trail run was short but sweet and fast. My co-worker Kali and I hustled the 2 miles - a nice burst of energy to pump blood out of my legs after the swim. Can't wait to do it again soon. Let's hope this is all I needed to get the confidence to finish the I Love the Tavern Triathlon this Sunday. Wish me luck!

Weekend of reunions, food and friends

2011-06-05T21:13:00.006-04:00

Lately my weekends are either over stuffed with events or nothing

but packing and catching up on the day-to-day. This weekend was definitely packed. My 5 year reunion from the University of Virginia was this past weekend, plus John had birthday/graduation party up in DC. We managed to pull off both despite our exhaustion. We headed to Charlottesville after work on Friday, and met up with my good friends Bane and Jen. Our standard hot spot in college was the Virginian on the Corner, which of course brought back great memories. We also enjoyed some of our favorite food joints like the Tavern and Take It Away. It was absolutely wonderful!

Back in Richmond, it was also a big foodie weekend, and somehow I managed to fit that in as well. Thursday before my reunion, my friends and I headed to the Greek Festival. It's one of the largest food festivals in RVA and it just gets bigger every year. Gotta love a cheap bottle of chilled red wine on a hot summer day with a side of dolmades!

Sunday was yet another food festival called Broad Appetite. My sister and I approach this festival very strategically... A co-worker friend of mine came along to tag-team each of the food vendors so that we could split them to save money and room for all the food we were eating. It was awesome... Below are a few food shots from today:

Marinaded skirt steak tacos with cilantro, red onion and parmesan cheese. YUM.

Shrimp and Pork meatballs with papaya salad plus hoisin and sriracha sauce dollops.

Smoked salmon toast with baby spinach leaves and jalapeños... Spicy!

Crab stuffed ravioli in a lobster cream sauce. OMG.

So that's the quick update. Definitely hopping back on the routine tomorrow. I can't wait to get my ass kicked in boot camp after work and eating healthy meals this week. Bring it on!

Graduation at The University

2011-05-24T23:49:00.006-04:00

I swear it feels like yesterday that John first set off to UVA to pursue his Master's degree in Systems Engineering at the School of Engineering and Applied Science. I remember he told me it would be a tough year for him, balancing school, work, his son and me. But he did it, and I'm so proud of him. Last weekend we headed up to UVA to watch John walk the Lawn and later on receive his diploma. It was a great weekend, busy, hot, chaotic and fun as hell. My family gave him a wonderful UVA diploma frame for graduation and it looks quite impressive hanging in his office. I will most likely bring my UVA undergraduate framed diploma to hang up as well, because we are nerds like that.

I will write more later but wanted to share this news and congratulate John on his amazing achievement. I'm proud of you babe - you are a lifetime learner.

Down and Dirty

2011-05-22T22:02:00.005-04:00

Just wanted to share two more photos from last weekend's adventure races. This weekend was HUGE - Brett's birthday, John's graduation, his whole family in town to celebrate... It was a great time and I'll share more later this week when I'm not about to pass out from exhaustion. I'll leave you with some pics from last weekend for now... Enjoy!

Muddy, Rugged, and Butt-Busting Weekend

2011-05-16T06:55:00.008-04:00

This weekend kicked off the summer series of muddy military style runs that I've signed up for in an attempt to train for the tough mudder. Well, Friday's race was designed more for fun than anything. RVA hosted the 3rd annual Dominion Riverrock events this weekend on Brown's Island. Mud runs, dirt bikes, rock climbers and music lovers came out to enjoy Friday Cheer's concert and wet dogs leaping for toys into a pool of water. My roommates and I headed down after work on Friday, dressed in our matching camo t-shirts and ready to get muddy. The race this year was a lot smoother than last year. They took out a mud pit that had been placed along the trail last year, which had caused bottlenecking delays at the entrance of the trail. The mud pit at the finish line was significantly improved too by adding a cargo net on top that racers had to crawl under. Overall, the race was a lot of fun. We wrapped up the night with Blue Moon beer and Boka Truck takos, which definitely made the night a success.

But wait, there's more! I dragged myself home and washed my muddy clothes, only to do it all over again the next day. I managed to dry my shoes in the dryer for the Rugged Maniac, a 5k military style obstacle course race held at the VA Motorsports Park in Petersburg. We signed up for a 12pm wave so that we could sleep in a bit and head down there without rushing. My co-worker Daniel and his friend Winslow rode down with me. We got there an hour before our wave-time and the first thing I saw was a mountain covered with a tarp and streaming water, with racers flying down into a pit of mud. We headed to the start line and hit the trail. The first few obstacles were easy - jumping through tires, climbing over short 4-foot walls, maneuvering between twisted ropes, etc. It wasn't until we exited the trail where we witnessed a huge field of halfpipes and obstacles. We hit our first mud pit with the thickest mud you can imagine. Our feet were covered and weighed us down. We climbed up and down the halfpipes and approached a series of walls to scale over. At first I had no confidence that I would be able to climb on my own but somehow I managed to jump high enough to get one hand on the top of the wall and then pull the rest of me over the top.

Then came the river obstacles. We came upon a series of planks over muddy water that you had to walk across. I couldn't reach the next plank and decided to jump. This was such a mistake. I slipped and landed right on my tail-bone, bumped my head and fell into the water. Daniel and Winslow fished me out and made sure I was okay. I honestly thought that I broke something but the only thing broken was my dignity. The pain was awful but I didn't want a little pain ruin the fun I was having. We kept going, swimming over tubes in cold muddy water, crawled through a pit of mud covered by barbed wire, a few more halfpipes and finally the mountainous slide at the end. The 3 of us went down together. I was honestly scared out of my mind when I slid down. I picked up so much speed, I thought for sure I would run right into Winslow below me, but we skidded along the mud pit to the end and ran through the finish line.

What a weekend. After all of that I celebrated with a BBQ stock-the-bar party and the Lebanese Food festival the next day. My tail-bone is quite sore and I have no idea if I'll be able to go back to the gym today, but I'll give it a try. I'm definitely enjoying adventuring racing so far, even with humiliating injuries.

Spring Fever

2011-05-11T21:14:00.000-04:00

I wish I could say that a fever is what kept me from updating my blog all this time, but alas, I have not been sick - only busy with work, play and training this spring. Ever since daylight savings, I've been taking advantage of the sunlight and working out in the evenings (instead of the lunch-time spin, etc). Then I go right back to work after dinner and shower. Spring is the busiest time for me in HR - I've launched our summer internship program and so far I've interviewed 45 candidates for our 14 open positions. We're hiring like crazy so I'm training classes of new hires every week it seems. Needless to say, my nights have been quite boring and stressful, but I guess that's what they call job security.

My last post was all about the Monument 10K And my first duathlon. Now all I can think about is Tough Mudder. Even though I still need to prepare for my first open-water

triathlon next month, I can't stop thinking about all the hill training, push ups, pull-ups and monkey-bar training that I need to work on until the race in October. I can't do a pull-up yet but I will! I started a few P90X videos and signed up for a bootcamp class that kicked off this week. It's a lot of plyometrics - my weakest link, but that's exactly what I need to get stronger and better. The instructors are awesome - motivating, tough and fun all at the same time. Looking forward to continuing bootcamp work-outs this summer as well.

But amidst all the training and work, I've also had time to squeeze in a little fun. Now that the weather is nice, John and I have picked up trail running again. Buttermilk is still by far the best trail in Richmond. There are others as I mentioned in a blog post last year, but Buttermilk tops my list. I'm hopeful that trail running will improve my endurance and strength as I prepare for Tough Mudder. We also enjoyed restaurant week and dined at both Amour Wine Bistro and Sam Millers Raw Bar. Amour was a little too quiet and stiff for me, but the food was excellent. The cheese plate for dessert was a good choice. Sam Miller's had excellent crab bisque and surprisingly I chose the chicken entrée with lump white crab on top and Parmesan risotto. It was awesome (and I don't usually choose a chicken entrée for restaurant week).

Cinco de Mayo came and went, but the tequila hangover did not go by as quickly. At least I got to enjoy a mariachi band while I took back my cheap shots of cuervo and margarita.

My other favorite activity that kicks off in the spring is the opening of the

weekly Farmer's Markets. South of the James offers the most vendors and options. My favorite thing to do is to start with a "tako" from Boka Truck. Patrick prepares the best fusion tacos I've ever had in my entire life. It's like eating a little piece of heaven every time. St. Stephen's Farmer's Market is my second favorite. This past weekend, after the Race for the Cure, my roommates and I stopped by the Monument Avenue Market for the first time. I have heard the booths are slim pickin's, but after reading a tweet from RVAFoodie about cookie dough chocolate covered truffles, I had to see it for myself. The truffles were also a little piece of heaven - I can't wait to pick some up as gifts another time.

So that's what I have been up to the past month... What's next? Well, I'm moving out of the fan after nearly 5 years... Very sad to no longer be a fan rat, but excited to take the next big step in my life. Wish me luck!

Duathlon checked off the Bucket List

2011-04-13T23:17:00.007-04:00

Check one thing off the bucket list... My very first Duathlon! It was amazing. I think I may like duathlons better than triathlons. Less to think about and prepare for, let alone train for. I had just finished my antibiotics for my sinus infection the night before the race, so I wasn't 100% going into it, but I think I did pretty well! The course was a hilly 3 mile run, 18 mile ride, and another 3 mile run. I originally said I wanted to break 2:15 and I did! I finished in 2:09. Next year I definitely want to break 2 hours.

The morning of the race I got myself up and made coffee and breakfast. I slowly put my bike on my car rack and packed my bike pump, gloves, helmet, bike shoes, etc. I'm glad I got up earlier than planned - I was able to relax before this race, which is unusual for me. Most of the time, I'm an anxious mess, running around trying to find everything I need for the race and freaking out. This time around, I kept my cool, picked up my buddy Daniel, and headed to the race site way in advance. We even had time to leave the race to pick up tissues (for my runny nose) at a nearby gas station and use the bathrooms before the race. At 8:45am, they gave a few announcements and started the race at 9am on the dot. The first leg was easy. I wanted to go faster but realized that I should pace myself because I have a lot more to go. The bike was hard. But only the first 2 laps (about 9 miles). I couldn't get my gears to shift down on one side until lap 2, so I got little fatigued in the first few miles of the bike portion. By lap 3 (13 or 14 miles in), it was like auto-pilot - I didn't feel

a thing!

Finally we hit the last leg and jogged our way through a 3 mile run,

probably going at a 10 minute/mile pace. Not bad when you can't feel anything from the waste down. In the end, Daniel and I crossed the finish line together and celebrated our victory. Definitely would recommend this race to anyone who can endure 2 hours of cardio and looking for something other than a run-only race. On April 1, I officially paid off my road bike payments so this was race was particularly special - I definitely am happy with my investment and love the way my bike handled this race. I look forward to many more. What has helped for this race was the training I did out in West Creek (where the race was actually held too). My co-workers and I went out and did mini-duathlon practices; usually a 2 mile run, 6-9 mile ride, and another 2 mile run. While short in distance, it definitely made a difference in my performance and mental preparedness... I'll have to keep those up in prep for my future races... Next up.... Mud Run and Rugged Maniac! Adventure races, here I come!!!

Race Season Begins... with a sinus infection

2011-04-07T22:35:00.008-04:00

It would be just my luck to get sick before a big race... Not just sick, a sinus infection that has lasted for 2 whole weeks. The Saturday before RVA's biggest race, the Monument 10K, I came down with a sore throat. Then I woke up Sunday morning to a full-fledge cold. I figured I'd be okay since I had a week before the race. I'd recover by Monday and be back on the roads on Tuesday for training. But no... It got worse. And worse. And worse. I've never experienced anything like this.

So to my dismay, I never once ran the entire week leading up to the 10K. But I'm stubborn and definitely didn't want to miss out on my 4th year participating in one of the largest 10K races in the US. I stuffed as many tissues as I could in my race shirt, a tube of chap-stick, and hit the road. If things couldn't get any worse, we were nearly a half hour late to our Wave F start time, and as we approached the exit ramp to Belvedere, we came to a complete stop right off the interstate. So we simply hopped out of the car and began to run to the start line - about a mile or so away. After weaving through the joggers, we finally hit mile 2 and came across 2 of my friends. I let John run ahead (since it was clear I was holding him back and my lungs were spasming from the fast pace) and I stayed with my friends, relieved I didn't have to keep up with his competitive speed.

So, did I survive? Yes - thank god I have been a runner long enough that a week off doesn't affect me as much as I thought. I finished in 54:36, not bad for someone with congestion inside their lungs and enough snot to fill the James River (sorry to be graphic). Maybe next year will I break 50" - my PR goal.

So what's next up? My first DUATHLON! Of course it had to land on the weekend right after the 10K, but oh well... I'm still recovering, and on antibiotics, but dammit I'm going to finish this duathlon if it kills me. The 3Sports Duathlon consists of a 2.85 mile run, 18 mile ride, 2.85 run. I did a mini practice run-thru this week (2 mi run, 9 mi ride, 2 mi run), and it nearly killed me, but I figured if I pace myself and focus, I will be fine. I will certainly share the results of my first duathlon next week, but for now I will leave you with a photo of the most amazing job in the world. The man who serves table-side guacamole at Plaza Azteca. This has to be the best guac I've ever had.

Foodie Weekend

2011-03-28T18:50:00.007-04:00

So this weekend I enjoyed an assortment of excellent food... Friday night I headed to Pescado's China Street with 2 girlfriends for happy hour and dinner. We enjoyed pitchers of Sangria, colorful mojitos, and one big guava jalapeño margarita that was to-die for... It packed some heat too! The great thing about Pescado's is you can dine all night long on their small plates and taste a variety of options. We chose the escolar tostada, fried oysters, and ceviche that was out of this

world. The seafood paella entrée rocked too. The risotto griddle cake underneath the clams, shrimp, mussels, and chorizo made for a unique twist to the traditional meal. The best part was dessert... Avocado Tarte. Everyone who knows me fairly well knows that my favorite food is avocado. I eat probably a half avocado every single day. I use avocado for everything - it replaces my cream cheese when I have lox and bagels for breakfast, and trumps mayo any day on a deli sandwich. So when out came a beautiful graham cracker crust bowl of avocado creaminess topped with whipped cream and fresh mint, you can only imagine my anticipation. Words cannot describe the heavenly taste of this dessert. It was light yet full of flavor - a great way to end our wonderful meal!

On to another favorite restaurant of mine in RVA... Stronghill Dining Company. John and I were able to brunch on Sunday for the first time in a while. After a round of bloody mary's, we enjoyed egg's benedict, but topped with fried goat cheese and smoked salmon instead of the traditional Canadian bacon. It was excellent. I ordered an omelette with goat cheese, mushrooms and

crawfish. It was very fresh - not fishy at all! And of course a side waffle, because I always want a

taste of sweetness with my eggs...

S0... with all that said, hope you drooled a little while reading this post and of course, head down to Pescado's or Stronghill for a fabulous dining experience!

Tradition St. Paddy's Celebration in Boston

2011-03-22T21:05:00.010-04:00

It's that time of year again... Ever since my twin sister moved to Boston attend law school at the New England School of Law, I've visited and for lack of a better word, "celebrated" St. Patrick's Day with my sister and her crazy lawyer friends. This year was no different. As we hit the sky in our swanky Jet Blue ride, we started our trip with warm white wine on the plane, only to be followed by copious amounts of beer and shots. While this blog post has nothing to do with food or fitness, I feel the need to share one of my favorite events I've participated in for the past 4 years: the St. Paddy's Day parade in Southie, Boston. Now this is not just any parade. It takes skill and dedication to get through this one glorious day. Each year, my sister hosts anywhere from 4 to 8 people in her tiny Beacon Hill apartment- all women who require showers and hair dryers that blow fuses in the apartment on a regular basis. The effort to get 8 girls showered and ready for a full day of celebrations is nothing short of a special forces mission. First, we set our alarms for 6am, and the first poor soul gets up to begin the shower line-up. Usually the best sport in the house is my roommate Talley, who also forgoes hours of sleeping based on her spot in the room (we somehow shoved 2 inflatable mattresses into my sister's tiny room along with her full size bed to sleep 4 people). Because Talley's mattress is by the door, everyone who goes to the bathroom or enters/leaves the bedroom has to physically step on her inflatable mattress near her head. It's quite the scene, but all in the name of fun and tradition do we endure it.

Following the endless row of showers, we enter the hair dryer line-up, followed by flat irons and makeup... Then the fun part: the St. Paddy's Day gear! Every year we bring up beads, shamrock earrings, glittery stickers, green drinking straws and anything else we can find to dress up our outfits for the day. This year we kicked it up a notch with shamrock knee-high socks and jean skirts. Now that everyone's decked out in glowing green costumes, we move on to a simple yet nutritious breakfast of bagels, cream cheese, and of course, mimosas.

And we're off! It's almost 9am and we must get in line at the epic Beer Garden, a bar just off of L street on Broadway. Beer Garden is our annual tradition and now the center of our historical celebration. We are always the first in line so that we can snag the large bay window area in the front of the bar with tables. This allows us to drink, eat and be merry as we watch the parade go by. The staff is superior to any bar staff here in Richmond. They keep the green Bud Light aluminum cans flowing before you even set your empty one down. The Irish car bombs and intermittent shots throughout the day are expensive but worth it when you are buying for a crew of 15. When you come to Boston and role with us, you have to accept that you will burn a large whole in your wallet. Sometimes you don't remember doing it either. All in all, the day wraps up sometime around dinner where we almost always snag an unmarked van cab to take us back into town for a dinner we don't remember, and where we continue to party until we drop. I usually never make it past 11pm but at that point, I've been drinking since 8am and don't mind tapping out for the count. So in a nutshell, the 4th annual St. Paddy's Day celebration in Boston was a huge success. Some people lost their debit cards, iPhones, and dignity, but somehow we all survive.

Thank you to my wonderful sister for making this tradition one of the most memorable times of my life!

I Want My Baby Back Ribs

2011-03-07T19:28:00.007-05:00

I tried another new recipe today. This one turned out better than the lasagna I made a couple weeks ago (which turned into noodle, eggplant and mushroom marinara soup). Tonight we ate Baby Back Ribs! At Trader Joe's (I know, I'm obsessed), they sell racks of baby back ribs at a pretty decent price and quality. I got a large rack of ribs for $8 bucks. The plan was to have John put them in the oven, covered in foil with nothing but salt and pepper on them for 4 to 5 hours at 275 degrees. Since I forgot to ask him to do this until 2pm, they only cooked for 3.5 hours at 300, but they were still tender. Afterwards, I coated them in Famous Dave's Rich and Sassy BBQ Sauce, followed by Part Time Party Porker Sweet and Heat BBQ Sauce. I got it at a food and wine tasting over the holidays. It's amazing. It definitely packs some heat! The ribs go back in the oven for another half hour covered in foil to let the sauce sink in, and viola! Fall off the bone, finger lickin' baby back ribs. I paired them with grilled asparagus and rice and broccoli. It was so good! I will definitely make this recipe again. Thank you to my co-worker, Jessica for your recipe and help - they turned out great!

South of the Border... er... West End Mexican

2011-03-03T22:17:00.004-05:00

Just a quick shout-out blog to share my awesome experience today at Habanero Taqueria. I got the idea to try this place from a fellow food blogger and critic (RVAFoodie), who happened to share another foodie blogger's experience at this authentic taco joint as well.

I took my co-worker, Jessica, with me and headed to Quioccasin Road, just off of Parham Road in the West End (near Regency Mall). It's very close to my office so I was thrilled. We ordered the 3 tacos for 4.99 lunch special - 1 chicken, 1 steak and 1 "al pastor" (pork). The meats were cooked and seasoned perfectly. The homemade fresh salsa was heaven - diced onion, tomatoes and cilantro. What's not good with cilantro??? YUM.

Not a lot of room for seating, and I worry that if you get the tacos to-go, the corn tortillas will be mush before you make it back to work, but I'll give it try next time and let you know. Definitely a "regular" lunch spot for me in the future!

Blinded by the (Florida) Light

2011-02-26T23:03:00.006-05:00

Hello hello! Wow, it's amazing what a mini vacation will do to your mood (and your belly)! While I've been running each day while in sunny Fort Myers, Florida, I can't help but over indulge as I freeload off my parents for the extended weekend. I flew in around midnight Wednesday and hit the pool immediately the next morning. The weather down here is perfect. 82 degrees and sunny all week/weekend long.

The shopping is also quite amazing. Miromar Outlets in Estero (between Naples and Fort Myers) has over 140 designer outlet stores, which my Mom and I managed to run through in a mere 2.5 hours. We spent the majority of this time in Off the 5th, where I probably tried on 28 things and only left with 2: a Tory Birch tunic and a pair of True Religion jeans. So pleased.

The next day consisted of another pool and shopping spree. I laid out for 4 hours straight, and then headed to the infamous juice factory for a frozen treat with the 'rents. When I say "juice factory," I really mean Sun Citrus Harvest. It's a huge fruit distributor with a museum like store filled with Florida themed knick-knacks and the best orange/vanilla swirl frozen yogurt. We've been going there ever since I was a kid and for some reason it generated the nickname "Juice Factory" that stuck... After a bit more shopping (Ralph Lauren polo bikini and cable knit sweater), it was time to head home and hit up happy hour at the Club! Cocktails and an amazing dinner of filet mignon, sweet potato puree and french onion soup to start. So good... Afterwards, we headed to Barnes and Noble for coffee, reading and catching up on work - another family tradition down here in Florida. It sounds lame, but to us, it's quite nice to enjoy coffee and a magazine after dinner.

Today managed to top yesterday. After a morning run, we headed gulf coast ride. We stopped by Salty Sam's Marina on Fort Myer's Beach for a bite to eat - blackened mahi mahi and sweet potato fries plus a few havana mango mojitos. Why not? I'm on vacation after all! During the ride home we spotted a few dolphins... they literally swam along the boat, it was awesome...

Fast forward to tonight. We headed to La Casita, yet another regular dining spot of the

Nuara family. I split a pitcher of Sangria with my parents and we dined on soft tacos, chicken and steak fajitas, and of course salsa and guacamole. I almost walked home in an attempt to burn off just 1 glass of Sangria... Oh well, it was worth it!

So tomorrow is my last day in the sun. I'm sad to leave but excited to get home to my regular routine. I'm digging my tan, even if it meant a few burnt areas! My mini vaca was definitely needed, only now I have the spring bug and I'm ready for the summer. Bring it on!

Blondie Soup and Pizza Tonight

2011-02-17T22:11:00.005-05:00

I know the name is pretty lame, but it's all I can think of since the soup is yellow. It's my own creation, but inspired from a recipe a friend gave me called lasagna soup. The lasagna soup is a tomato-based version filled with ground Italian sausage and veggies. I decided to make a hearty wintry version instead. Here's the low-down:

32 oz. chicken broth
32 oz. butternut squash soup
Trader Joe's soup mix (2 cups worth of chopped carrots, celery and onion)
4 chopped garlic cloves
2-4 sliced zucchinis (small slices or chopped)
2-4 sliced yellow squash (small slices or chopped)
1 cup fresh mushrooms
1 cup of rotini noodles
1 package of Trader Joe's garlic chicken sausage (or 1lb ground turkey sausage), sliced
1 cup of baby spinach leaves
fresh mozzarella slices
tbsp cumin
tbsp cayenne pepper
salt and pepper to taste

It seems like a lot of ingredients, but honestly, you can buy almost all of these items already chopped (have I mentioned Trader Joe's is my obsession, or does everyone get the point?). Plus, once you chop everything up, all you do is toss them in a huge pot and let everything boil. As far as the seasoning goes, just make it spicy as you like it. You don't necessarily need the cumin or cayenne, but I like the kick (I'm a spice fanatic).

Place slices of fresh mozzarella on bottom of soup bowl. Pour boiling soup on top, and let it cool just a bit (trust me, you do not want to burn your tongue on this). ENJOY!

Okay, one more food mention and I'm done for the night... PIZZA TONIGHT.

I recently discovered a new make-at-home pizza and I think I'm in love. I don't usually eat pizza. Pizza was always a trigger for me as an overweight kid. I can never stop eating it, and I like the most unhealthy toppings too. I've even ordered a chicken parm slice and a baked ziti slice of pizza before. Who needs a meal on top of a meal, honestly??? So back to the amazing pizza. It's a dpizza kit you can buy at the Farmer's Market (SOTJ), Belmont Butchery, and Elwood Thompson grocery store. The kit comes with 2 balls of homemade dough, a cup of their amazing marinara and secret seasonings. You provide the toppings and cheese. We made our pizza with sliced sun-dried tomato chicken sausage, fresh garlic cloves, mushrooms, mozzarella and feta cheese. It was heavenly.

So, I will post soon on fitness since I've been talking about food quite a bit lately. I've gotten into a cooking kick ever since I started shopping more at Trader Joe's, and my workouts haven't changed much - spin, run, stair climb. I'm going to transition into run, bike, swim and lifting next month to prep for the 10K and of course the up-coming triathlon season. I'll keep you posted!

Polenta Love

2011-02-15T20:26:00.005-05:00

Tonight, I've discovered a wonderful new food to cook with and eat... Polenta. It's a corn bread-like grain that tastes very similar to grits. I recently picked up a tube of polenta at Trader Joe's (another obsession of mine), and created a recipe with it all on my own. I called it polenta pesto bites with eggplant. Here's what I did:

Step 1: slice eggplant into quarter inch circles and coat with either egg white or Pam olive oil spray. Drop into bag of Italian bread crumbs and shake up bag to coat eggplant. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.

Step 2: slice polenta into half inch circles and lay on top of eggplant. Bake for 20 more minutes.

Step 3: top with Pesto sauce (or marina) and Italian cheese or fresh mozzarella. Place back in oven for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.

And there you have it. It's a great appetizer option or even a meal since it's pretty heavy with the pesto coated in top. I googled eggplant and polenta and came across recipes that were exactly like mine, which burst my bubble on how amazingly creative I was, but oh well. The photo on the left is a more creative version of what I did, but you get the idea.

I can't wait to cook with polenta again! You can even microwave it, so I may bring it to work with some pizza sauce and cheese and make polenta pizza bites. Yum. The other fabulous thing about polenta is that it's healthy! A fifth of the tube (pictured) is 70 calories and ZERO grams of fat. Plus, it has a little bit of fiber and protein, too. I sliced about 8 circles of polenta and only used half the tube. I am truly psyched about cooking with polenta more often. And yes, I know I'm a complete nerd too.

Bikes, Burgers and Valentine's Day

2011-02-14T21:55:00.007-05:00

I just got home from the most amazing Valentine's Day meal of my life. John took me to Pescados, one of my absolutely favorite restaurants in Richmond. The menu is filled with Latin and Caribbean Seafood. We did the Valentine's Day prefix, which included the following:

Appetizers: Scallops with caviar and cauliflower curry puree

Duck confit over arugula and dried fruit coated with a sweet raspberry sauce

Dinner: Peppercorn and blue cheese crusted filet mignon, cooked medium rare over top of broccolini and mashed potatoes

Fresh lobster tail over corn risotto

Dessert: Passion fruit parfait and chocolate ravioli

Everything was paired with a wine to match. It was spectacular, savory, romantic and absolutely wonderful. When we got home, I had a half bottle of Rosa Regale, a sparking red Italian dessert wine that you sip while eating dark chocolate. It tastes just like a chocolate covered strawberry. Yum. Plus, John had beautiful flowers delivered to my office. It was a wonderful Valentine's Day. Thank you babe!

Now, let's back up to last week. My last post mentioned that I had signed up for Endorphin Fitness's Triathlon Essentials crash course. I had completed Monday's flexibility and core workout and was ready for Tuesday's cycling class. At least I thought I was... The class was filled from wall to wall with cyclists of every level. It was inspiring and overwhelming all at the same time. We were instructed to bring our road bikes and moun

t them on a rear axle suspension devise that ultimately made our road bikes into stationary spin equipment. It was incredible. My heart rate maxed at 180, which is quite high for me. I loved every minute of it. The massive number of cyclists was so inspiring. I wish I could afford the entire spring program at Endorphin, but alas, the great outdoors on my own time will have to suffice.

Along with my Endorphin crash course on Triathlons, I also crashed my diet as well, specifically with burgers. My coworker Stanley convinced me to attend the soft opening of Boom Boom Burger, the grass-fed organic small business burger joint down by the Farmer's Market on 17th street. The atmosphere was great but the food was okay. Definitely enjoyed the local produce, especially the oyster mushrooms, but $10 bucks for a burger with no sides or drink is pushing it here in RVA. I guess I can't get too excited about Boom Boom burgers when I had the Barnyard Burger to look forward to later that week...

Have you ever been to Lemaire inside the Jefferson Hotel? Everything on their menu is fabulous, and normally I would never consider ordering a burger at a 5-star locale,

but at Lemaire, the Barnyard burger is the best $18 you

will ever invest in when it comes to burgers. Ground tenderloin topped with thick cut bacon, a fried egg and

my favorite: the foie-gras sauce to top

it all off. It's a heart attack on a plate for sure, but worth the 10 mile run afterwards. Hands down this will be my marathon treat of choice. Oh yeah, and we tried antelope. Lemaire's special was a medium rare sliced antelope, very lean and drizzled with a red wine jus. It was awesome, but the burger was better.

So there have it. My week filled with food and cycling. Nothing unusual for me but so much fun none the less!

Crash Course on Triathlon Training

2011-02-07T21:14:00.009-05:00

I've got to do a better job keeping up with my blog! Nothing too exciting has been going on the past few weeks to be honest. I'm consistently spinning, running more, cooking more, and of course eating more! Last week, my mom, my sister, and our 2 best friends plus their mom, had a girl's night out at Eurasia, a restaurant in the west end of RVA that serves a wonder blend of Asian and American meals, from rosemary and gorgonzola-crusted rib eye steak, shrimp and gouda grits, to ahi tuna over soba noodles with peanut sauce and pork belly pot stickers. Everything was great, and especially the company I was with!

The other place a tried last week was Off the Hookah, a new night club and restaurant in downtown RVA that serves up an array of Mediterranean food and dazzling belly dancers. My co-worker and I got VIP seating, which included a very kind and generous waitress and a view of sexy dancing on the dance floor. We ordered a tobacco/drug-free Hookah in "Wildberry" flavor. I

t was like inhaling bubble gum. I enjoyed it but that could be nostalgia from my old cig habit. I must admit, it was a lot of fun, and I definitely would go back again.

So... Now on to fitness. This week I decided to sign up for Endorphin Fitness's crash course into Triathlon training. Endorphin Fitness is a leading provider in adult and youth triathlon training and fitness. They just upgraded their fitness center with a store-front expansion, filled with professional road bikes, tools and clothing and equipment galore. I feel very entry-level when I walk in, but the staff is friendly and welcoming when I signed up for the week. Today's class consisted of flexibility and core exercises. I haven't done any type of core, strength training or stretching moves since I broke my arm, so I was definitely looking forward to this class. I had already gone to spin during my lunch break so this would be the perfect compliment to my full-body workout.

The core part of the class was hard. At least for me since I was out of commission for a few months. The stretching was hard too! It made me realize I need to get back into Bikram Yoga again. I've definitely lost my flexibility for sure! The rest of the week will continue with even more challenging classes... Cycling, transition, running, and swimming techniques along with a Friday night group party. It will surely be a good time, I'm definitely looking forward to it!

A look back at Food

2011-01-17T22:32:00.010-05:00

OK... I found all these photos of great food I've either dined on or made. I felt I should share some of these delicious photos. Let's start by theme. My most favorite to photograph would have to be Sushi. I eat sushi 3 or 4 times a week on average. Sometimes it can reach every day of the week. Richmond offers quite a variety:

Best "grocery store" sushi: Fresh Market

#1 RVA Sushi : Umi (and their sister restaurant, Ichiban!)

#2 Best RVA Sushi (owned by the same man): Osaka, Sushi-O, Wild Ginger

#3 Best RVA Sushi: Mai Sushi

I could go on and on about other great sushi in Richmond, but there's the top of the line.

The next food genre on my list follows closely behind sushi and resembles it quite a bit... Seafood! It's lean, healthy, filled with omega 3's... Who d

oesn't like seafood (unless your allergic I guess)? Some of the best seafood I've had was made right home... For example, on Christmas Eve, we enjoyed amazing oysters, cooked on pewter oyster trays with toppings like spinach, garlic, butter, hot sauce, and old bay. OH SO GOOD. I could eat at least a dozen of these alone.

What's next... Oh, the obvious. Italian. Because I'm Italian! Well, specifically Sicilian... And boy does my family know good Italian food. I'd say our family meatball recipe beats out any other meatball in town. I also make amazing fried eggplant, except I use panko crumbs, and coat my sliced eggplant with egg whites to hold the panko crumbs together, followed by fresh mozzarella medallions, garlic and red pepper flake. I pretty much put red pepper flake on everything I eat - from eggs to eggplant!

And lets not forget Pizza. I try to steer clear of generic pizza, but a gourmet pizza from Stuzzi or Sette? Sure! Homemade pizza with toppings like spinach, artichoke, prosciutto, roasted red peppers and turkey pepperoni? Sure! Typically I make homemade pizzas using Flat Out Light wraps. First, you toast them with a little spray olive oil Pam, then layer on the pizza sauce, toppings and cheese! They can be lots of fun to make and super healthy too if you choose the right ingredients. I've made pesto pizza using Knorr's pesto seasoning mix with water (bring to boil so it mixes up to a creamy paste), and adding zucchini, spinach, artichokes and mushrooms with low fat thinly shredded mozzarella. Viola! The pest is a whole 60 calories, and the flat out is 90. Who knew?

And let's not forget Italian Wedding Soup. Brio makes a great Italian Wedding Soup, plus there's a little heart made out of parmesan cheese.... Fantastic presentation if I don't say so myself!

Bond, James Bond

2011-01-09T18:38:00.005-05:00

James Bond's got nothing on us! Just kidding...

So ever since I was 12, I've been obsessed with James Bond. I've seen every movie even Her Majesty's Secret Service with George Lazenby, which wasn't technically part of the Ian Flemming series. If you ask me who my favorite Bond is, I still have a tough time deciding but will always go with Sean Connery (followed by Daniel, Pierce and Timothy... never liked Roger). And as you can imagine, everyone who knows me knows that I'm a Bond fanatic. So it was no surprise to anyone at work that I would be the happiest employee in the world when they made our annual company holiday party theme Casino Royale. I work in HR for Mondial Assistance, one of the largest travel insurance and assistance services companies in the world. We speak over 40 languages and have offices all over the globe. I absolutely LOVE the international flare and culture and couldn't be happier. John and I decided to dress the part for the holiday party. We had dinner at Tobacco Company with a large group of my HR team. I enjoyed an arugula and chevre salad to start, and a to-die-for medium rare gorgonzola crusted 8oz filet for dinner. YUM... The party was a hit. We played black jack and listened to our company band perform. Overall, an excellent 007-worthy evening.

Today, John and I went on a quick bike ride to try out my new bike. What we didn't anticipate is how cold we got so quickly. I had on several cold compression and fleece layers too! It was so frigid we only made it one quick loop to Pony Pasture and back (along Riverside Drive). Oh well. At least we got to enjoy a hot bowl of my chili afterwards.... Double YUM! Since I haven't talked about food in a while, I'll share my chili recipe. It's the EASIEST recipe and impossible to ruin:

1 packet of Sauer's Hot Chili Seasoning
1 can of black beans
1 can of great northern beans
1 can of dark red kidney beans
1 can of petite diced tomatoes
1 30 oz can of tomato sauce
1 lb of 96% lean ground beef thawed

Toss all ingredients in crock pot (mix well), and let sit for 4-6 hours. Service with a dollop of sour cream, finely shredded 2% sharp cheddar cheese, and of course Chalula hot sauce. You can cook in a pot on the stove too but I prefer crock pot. Viola! The best damn chili you'll ever have, especially during these next few days of 30-degree RVA weather. Enjoy!

Let the Triathlon Training Begin

2011-01-05T21:57:00.006-05:00

HURRAY! I just bought my first road bike! Isn't it fierce?

It's a 2010 Fuji Newest 3.0 from Performance Bikes here in Richmond. I'm so excited, I can hardly wait to ride it. I finally have a decent road bike to train and race for this season's triathlon races. I plan to participate in at least 3 triathlons this year (if I can afford to sign up for them), and I'd love to do this duathlon too. Regardless, I am super excited to just enjoy rides on my new bike. I'm picking it up this Friday along with my bike rack and 2-year service warranty.

If anyone has any suggestions of routes to try, let me know. Or if you want to go for a ride, let me know! I could always learn a few new tricks.

A New Day, A New Year

2010-12-17T08:57:00.015-05:00

Happy New Year Y'all! Wow, I'm absolutely mortified by the length of time it has taken me to update my blog... But I'm back! After breaking my arm on Thanksgiving, I've yet to get back on the running wagon. I gave up my marathon goal for now, since I missed the first 6 weeks of my winter training program, but that hasn't held me back. In the past few weeks I've picked up spinning as my new workout obsession. I've always enjoyed spin classes in the past, but when presented with no other option (i.e. unable to run), spinning has become my lifeline. Over the holidays, I've somehow managed to maintain my weight despite the increase in holiday eating and lack of running. I've hit the road or treadmill about 5 or 6 times since my spill, but spin and stair climb 3 or 4 times a week instead. It's amazing the amount of calories and sweat you burn in just 1 hour of class. I absolutely love it!

On another note, the holidays were great. Filled with food, wine, friends and family. It even snowed on Christmas day! New Years was a lot of fun too. We went to Capital Ale House for StyleWeekly's New Year's bash with Three Sheets to the Wind performing. They were incredible... While the holidays were amazing and so much fun, I'm kind of glad it's all over and I can get back into a routine and prepare for the cold months ahead. Without the marathon training to keep me motivated, I've decided to keep up the cross-training and enjoy the winter with variety and change. I do however have a few other new years resolutions outside of my normal routine:

1. Save money. It's time. I've managed to pay off my high-interest credit card but now I'm ready to really save some money for the big investments down the road. I want to be smarter about spending and budget better in 2011. Although my love for shopping and dining out will probably hinder this goal...

2. Move up in my career. I've made it into the project management and HR industry, now it's time to become a professional. I want to take on more projects, lead and support more projects, learn the terminology and maybe even become PMP certified.

3. Travel somewhere new. I made it to the west coast twice in 2010, and now I want to go somewhere new. I'd love to make it over the pond, but I'd settle for somewhere in the US I've never been to as well. Just NEW!

4. Tri, Tri, Tri again. I am looking forward to racing in several triathlons this year. The schedule for 2011 recently came out and John signed us up to be members of the Richmond Tri Club. I will definitely do the Napier sprint tri that I did last year again, plus I'd like to try an open water swim if I can. Now that my gym has a new pool, I want to get back in the water more. I also desperately want to invest in a decent road bike. I've been looking on craigslist, ebay and a few bike shops, but I'm hesitant to buy such an expensive item until the Spring when I can use it all the time.... It'll happen though, I'm sure of it!

5. Cook and eat healthy. I cooked and baked many things this year, and I can't wait to try more. I want to be a better cook, eat healthier and enjoy new restaurants. I love trying new foods and new recipes. I'm super excited about Weight Watcher's new Points Plus program too and I plan to participate in it, not necessarily to lose but maintain my weight and learn some new nutritional information.

I think that's all for now. I'm sure these will change over the year but no matter what, the theme of 2011 is to improve my quality of life, be more dynamic, learn new facts and laugh more. I wish all of you a happy new year and best of luck in 2011!

The wishbone wasn't the only broken bone on Thanksgiving

2010-11-28T18:12:00.012-05:00

I broke my arm on Thanksgiving. Yep I sure did. I was trail running with my boyfriend on our favorite run down Riverside Drive. Usually I'm the careful one, watching every rock, every tree root and every steep hill. I even commented on the all the leaves on the ground the day before and to be careful when I took my friend on the trail for her first time. But I did it. The one time I trip over a tree root, I fall so hard on my right elbow that it fractured the radial head. I honestly felt like it snapped in half. John had to wave down a car to give us a ride home. My knee was bleeding, and I couldn't move my arm. John was insistent on going to the ER but I couldn't do it. Not on Thanksgiving. I managed to take a shower and get dressed on my own. We arrived at my parent's house only to have my dad, a cardiologist, assess the damage. He wrapped my elbow in an ace bandage and gave me a script for an x-ray the next morning at his hospital.

The next morning I woke up in horrendous pain. My right arm was completely swollen and throbbing. It was almost 3am and so I decided I might as well venture out for Black Friday shopping. My best friend Brian and I go every year. It's tradition. We hit up Target, Wallmart and sometimes Best Buy, always focusing on electronics first. This year John and I decided to get a flat screen TV since our 20" Memorex tube TV with a constant ringing noise wasn't cutting it. We aren't big TV people, but we do love a good movie, sports and the news from time to time.

Brian took care of everything for me since I couldn't move my arm. He helped load the car, push the cart, pick up all the items I wanted and even put my car in gear for me when we hit the road. I dropped him off at 7am, came home, unloaded everything for John to set up, and hit the road

again for my 8:30am x-ray. When the radiology tech took off my ace bandage and asked me to move my elbow so he could take the appropriate shots, tears streamed down my face and I couldn't hold them back. It was so painful I could barely breath. The radiologist took a look at my x-rays and gave me the bad news. They put me in a sling and called around to schedule an appointment with the orthopedic surgeon. Eventually I got one and by that afternoon, I was in my split and sling, gimped up and ready to go.

So depressing. Why me?! I have to do everything with my left hand, I can't run for 2 weeks

at least, and the pain sucks. But I'll survive. I went to the gym this morning, 2 days after my break. It felt great to get some cardio done. I hit up the bike, elliptical, and stair climber, trying to at least get my heart rate up and sweat going. It worked. I'll get back to running soon enough. I have a marathon to train for! I will not be able to run the Kiawah Half Marathon though. I'm so bummed. There goes 100 bucks and an incredible vacation to Charleston, SC. Plus, I was unable to go to Abingdon with John to celebrate Thanksgiving with his family. I can't wait for this all to go away!

However, despite the set-backs and pain, we had a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner at my parent's house. My brother-in-law cooked an amazing turkey in his turkey fryer outside. It was delicious. I'll keep everyone posted in the meantime on my broken arm. In 2 weeks, I'll be back and running in no time!

Half Marathon Complete; Full Marathon Next on the Bucket List

2010-11-23T19:30:00.009-05:00

In an earlier post, I announced that John and I would be running the Half Marathon in Richmond, and we began our 10-week training program with a bang... literally. John fell on the trail and banged himself up pretty bad, but continued to battle. We hit 8 miles, then 10 and soon 11 miles before running the half on November 13, 2010. It was a beautiful sunny day, chilly in the morning and warming up quickly. I was excited and nervous at the same time. Even though this was my second half marathon, I was still on edge because 2nd-time races are always bad luck for me. I'm good with the "first" attempt, and not so good the second time around.

This race was no different. I wore too many layers and didn't take them off during the race when I should have just thrown them to the curb for good. My right leg cramped up almost immediately and by mile 5 or 6 I was miserable. John ran on past me since I knew I was holding him back. I resorted to walking. This was the first race I've ever competed in and had to walk. How depressing.

And now, looking back... I'm actually quite pleased

with my run. While I finished in 2:10, a wopping 12 minutes slower than last year's time, I realize that I finished a half marathon, and that's an accomplishment in itself. Four years and 50 pounds ago, I would have never imagined myself even running 6 miles, let alone 13. So... am I bummed that I bonked my race for the first time? Yes. But I'm glad it happened now and I know what it feels like to do poorly in a race, and to pick myself back up to run another. I've conquered many of my fears and reach many of my life-long goals. Running any race, good or bad, will always be an accomplishment for me. This was John's first half marathon. He finished in 2:05! I am very proud of him, and given his hectic school, work and life schedule, he still managed to keep up his training.

So with that said, I'm about to put something in writing that I'm terrified to write. I'm terrified because it makes me accountable from now on... I've decided to train for my first ever FULL Marathon. A co-worker/friend of mine managed to slip the marathon bug in my head, and after a few days of really thinking about it, I decided it's time. I'm already at a half marathon base, so why not keep going? I joined the RRRC.org winter training team, so hopefully I'll meet new friends and get the training I need. Plus, its the off-season. I'd rather do my marathon training quietly and with few people watching (just in case I fail. Yes, I still have a fear of failure, I'm admitting it). I've decided on running the National Marathon in DC on March 26, 2011. It's a smaller participant count (15,000 tops), and far enough past St. Patty's that I can still go to Boston and party with my sister and her friends up there, and recover in time for the race (priorities, duh). My co-worker is going to train and race it with me, which is good because I really do need a buddy system to do a race like this. John graduates from his Systems Engineering master's program at UVA in April, so I can focus on my training while he studies all winter. And not to mention the health benefits. I get to eat all winter long guilt free! Hurray!

So, with that said. I'm going to complete my first marathon. There I said it. Notice I didn't put a time down. I think that may be bad luck. Just finishing is good enough for me. One more item on my bucket list to check off... Wish me luck!

Countdown Love

2010-11-16T21:41:00.009-05:00

Just as Homesliceva was inspired by her friend Stanley, I was also inspired by my friend and co-worker Stanley's post called "The Countdown." His blog recaps his many accomplishments in 2010, and what else must be done before 2010 is over. Stanley is by far one of the most inspiring people I've met. His struggle with weight loss is something I can relate to and his 150 pound weight loss accomplishment in 2009 is 3 times more than my weight loss success! I'm so proud of him and especially for his most recent goal related to his orientation, and he knows why. So it's no surprise I wanted to write my own 2010 Countdown as well.

What I've accomplished so far in 2010...

1. The first date I had with my boyfriend was a trail run on Buttermilk Trail followed by dinner at Cielito Lindo. Definitely a first. I am now in love with trail running (and my boyfriend!).

2. I took my first trip across the country to San Diego for work. I attend the annual SHRM conference all by myself and even got to visit the infamous San Diego Zoo. It was amazing, and the food on the west coast is fantastic btw.

3. I rented a car for the first time. I know this is not an accomplishment, but felt the need to share. It was a gangster Christler 300, but I got to cross the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.

4. I visited Lands End in San Francisco, the site where my oldest sister passed away. By far this was the hardest and most emotional moments of 2010 for me and by far the most important.

5. I bought and rode my first road bike. Across the Huguenot Bridge. OMG.

6. I participated in my first "all by myself" race. The Capital 10 Miler was a tough one to do alone. Who has fun running for an hour and a half all by yourself? I had to really focus on music, the scenic view and my desire to break 90 minutes in my first competitive 10 miler. Check!

7. I completed my first Triathlon. This is one of my favorite accomplishments. I've been wanting to participate in a triathlon ever since my sister Diana and I had planned to do one together. I finally just signed up all on my own and it was the best decision I ever did.

8. I completed my 2nd half marathon and my first "bad race". Last Saturday was Richmond's Marathon, Half Marathon and 8k. I've been training for the past 10 weeks for this race and bombed it. Yes, I finished. But a wopping 12 minutes slower than last year's time - 2:10. While I'm disappointed in my time, I'm still very pleased that I finished.

9. I finally moved into a new role at my company. I'm still in HR but I finally feel that my career is going in the right direction.

10. I started my first blog. I'm happy to say that I've quite enjoyed this outlet to share my 2 passions - food and fitness. I was worried I wouldn't be into it as much as I am, and it's been very enjoyable.

So those are the accomplishments and "firsts" of 2010. What's left? Well, I have another half marathon in December - the Kiawah Island Half Marathon in Charleston, SC. I'm excited to keep up my training through Thanksgiving and I definitely want to race in a few small races until the end of the year. I'm also truly considering my first marathon. Another friend and co-worker brought up the idea of the Shamrock Marathon in March 2011 and the winter training program that begins next month. It perked my interested because I didn't think about a winter training program... I was hesitant to consider a full marathon because I thought all of them were near the end of the summer and I'd have to train all summer long. I didn't want to do this because next year I want to participate in several triathlons and not worry about the long distance running races next summer. It never occurred to me I could train in the winter and race in the spring! Something to think about as 2010 comes to end. I'll certainly keep everyone posted (posted, get it? LOL)!

Disney Word... The Most Magical Place on Earth, and the Tastiest!

2010-11-10T21:16:00.015-05:00

Walt Disney once said, "If you can dream it, you can do it."

Not only did Walt's dreams come true when he created Walt Disney World, a nation full of dreams came true too. My roommates and I went to Disney World last weekend for one of their birthdays. I have been fixated on Disney ever since I went to a Disney Institute seminar at this year's annual SHRM conference in San Diego, California. Since I'm in Human Resources, I very much admire the culture and values of Disney's workforce. They call their employee's "cast members" and when you interview for a job at Disney, you "audition" for the "role" instead. When we first pulled up to the Magic Kingdom and all it's glory, I noticed an employee training session going on at the bus stop where folks were learning how to drive the Disney transit buses. Instead of calling it training, the buses read, "earning my ears." How creative is that? I love it.

Anyway... Below are my two roommates. Happy Birthday to Stine with her trio of tequilla shots and Talley enjoyed Canadian cheese fondue:

But back to what my blog is really about... the magical world of Disney. We started our adventure at Universal Studios where we hit every major ride from Jaws to ET, Harry Potter to Men in Black, and Toy Story to Twister. As a movie fanatic, it was one of the best times I've ever had. But what came the next day truly falls under one of the most magical days of my life. The night before, we decided just a one-day one-park pass would not do. We upgraded to a one-day park-hopper pass and started our day at 9am at the Magic Kingdom. November is the perfect time to go to Disney World. Yeah it was chilly, but we were still able to survive Splash Mountain comfortably and there were barely any lines for each ride. Plus, we arrived at the park's first day of Christmas celebrations. Every park was decorated to the T with holiday cheer and holiday music blasted from every angle. There's no way you couldn't smile at a scene like this.

After the Magic Kingdom is where the real "adult" fun began. We headed for Epcot's annual International Wine and Food Festival, the 15th anniversary. Every foodie's dream come true: a tour through countless countries with authentic food tastings and spirits to match. It was a dream come true for me, thats for sure! Since I can't go into detail of every country, I've decided to list the top 5 countries and food/wine pairings:

1. New Zealand: Lamb slider with tomato chutney paired with Villa Maria Private Bin Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc... The most tender and juicy ground meat I've ever had. Flavor spilled out with every bite and the tomato chutney added the perfect combination. Definitely my favorite dish.

2. Chile: Shrimp Ceviche paired with Casillero del Diablo Sauvignon Blanc (Do you see the trend here? It's pretty obvious Sav Blanc is my favorite white wine)... The combination of citrus and spice hits your palette like you wouldn't imagine. The cilantro and lime seasons tender shrimp bursted with cool flavor and the Sav Blanc was a perfect pairing. I'm actually drinking a glass of this very wine as I write this blog because I loved it so much.

3. Japan: Tuna sensation... Paired with Morocco: Tangerine Mimosa... Yes I ended up eating from one country and drinking from another (very different) one. But what a combo! The tuna sensation consisted of raw sushi-grade albacore tuna on top of lump avocado chunks and drizzled in soy sauce. I'm a sushi fanatic and this was literally heaven for any sushi lover (except if it were upgraded to toro but I'm not that picky). The folks who ran the Morocco booth said I had beautiful blue eyes and topped off my Tangerine Mimosa with a shot of Orange Royal liquor. Now THAT's a mimosa.

4. France: Escargots Persillade en Brioche... Australia: Penfold's Koonunga Hill Shiraz Cabernet... The escargots (snails) were seasoned with garlic and parsley and cooked inside these little phyllo dough circular pockets coated in butter. Wow is all I have to say. Plus, I absolutely love Penfold's wine. An excellent choice for any dinner party I might add.

5. Spain: Seared Albacore Tuna with Romesco Sauce paired with Paul Chenau "Lady of Spain" Cava Brut... Give me a glass of champagne or Sparkling wine any day. I love it. I wish I could drink it all the time but I guess it should be saved for special occasions and when I have a morning to recover from the glorious hangover/headache that always ensues after a night champagne libations. Bravo, Spain.

I was going to go into honorable mentions next but I think this post is long enough. So there you have it. My top 5 international food and wine tastings from Disney's Epcot 15th International Wine and Food Festival.

To end the most magical vacation I've ever had, we enjoyed an excellent concert

by Hanson in Epcot's amphitheater. Hanson was one of my favorite bands growing up and yes, we still love them today. Following the concert, we headed straight for Hollywood Studios, the Disney park that extended their hours of operation to 11pm. Thank god for the countless drinks I had before, otherwise I wouldn't have let my roommates convince me to go on the Aerosmith roller coaster and the Tower of Terror. But I did it, even the Tower of Terror twice!

To really make the day and night one of the happiest days I can imagine (as if it couldn't get any better based on the description above), we wondered to the back-lot of Hollywood studios and stumbled upon the most miraculous holiday light show where fake snow and Christmas music played all around us. It truly was a moment I'll never forget.

So hopefully you've made it through the world's longest blog post and enjoyed it. Oh, and one more thing... No one can go to Disney World and not have a Mickey waffle for breakfast! Enjoy!

World of Wine

2010-11-01T22:06:00.003-04:00

Congratulations to my friend and co-worker Jessica for the grand opening of her new wine store World of Wine in Williamsburg, Virginia. Jess and her boyfriend have worked 2 hard years on the creation of their wonderful store, filled with wine from across the globe and delicious cheese that tastes like a little piece of heaven. The triple-cream Brie had to be the best cheese I've ever tasted and of paired perfectly with a glass of Vino Verde.

A few of us in HR went to the grand opening last week to support our co-worker's success. The catered event was quite the scene, with trays of Ahi tuna, lolly-pop lamb chops, sausage stuffed portobello mushroom caps, and my favorite- endive leaves with lump crab meat. It was a delight!

Be sure to check out Jessica's wine store at www.worldofwinewilliamsburg.com!

Oyster Roast

2010-10-25T21:02:00.011-04:00

Halloween is around the corner! but more importantly, this weekend was my sister Becky and her husband Cory's annual Oyster Roast. It's oyster season (as I mentioned in my last posting) and every year, Becky and Cory have an oyster roast, where they order hundred's of blue point and Rappahannok oysters served raw or steamed. But before I jump into Oyster Roast, I started my Saturday morning with a quick Monumental Ave run and pumpkin carving while my roommates decorated our house for Halloween (and to get ready for #413's annual Halloween party next weekend!). Below is a photo of Stine, one of my roommates decorating our front porch with spider webs and a glow-in-the-dark hanging skeleton. She's the best when it comes to standing on ladders and hanging lights or anything up way high. I am not one for heights so thank god for Stine. Hopefully my next post will include photos from our Halloween party next weekend, and hopefully our decorations won't be vandalized like last year (yes, we actually had a "vandal" tear down our decorations and eat all our food after everyone pass out).

Once I finished my pumpkin, it was time to ready... But first, take a look at the end result:

Now off the oyster roast! Cornhole, wiffle ball, and plenty of food! I was in charge of

ordering the Chic-fil-A platter this year, which is devoured within an hour of its deliver every year. My roommates made country ham biscuits (a Virginia tradition), and others made homemade chili, buffalo dip, pulled BBQ and mashed potatoes, and of course, plenty of oysters! We even made oyster shooters: Cocktail sauce, raw oyster, vodka, hot sauce and mignonette sauce combined in a shot glass. I was actually quite tasty! I had 2.

We also made homemade mignonette sauce: red wine vinegar, cracked black pepper, dash of salt and chopped shallots. It was damn good I think! What was good was the baby crabs inside the oysters, specifically the Rappahannok oysters that we steamed. Look at that sucker, gross! My sister's friend Mike would eat them right out of the shell, which was horrifying but then I guess eating raw oysters is gross too when you think about it. They are both animals from the sea! I'll take my crabs cooked and in the forms of legs or a cake, please. My parents came too. They made the best Italian sausages with peppers and onions and also a batch of "beer brats," sausage links cooked in butter and beer. They were a little taste of heaven, I couldn't stop eating them.

All in all, it was a great day. John came home from school up in Charlottesville and got to enjoy most of the food that wasn't already devoured. And we wrapped up the weekend with another brunch at a new restaurant: The Back Sheep. We both ordered the "No Mas Huevos Nuevos," which consisted of their mixed chili (I swear it had barley mixed with black beans... what a delight), over top 2 eggs any style, avocado salsa, tortilla strips and underneath all of this was a jalapeño griddle cake. Yes, it was to-die for. Yes, I ate the whole thing. Yes, I'd do it again in a heartbeat!

Foodie Weekend

2010-10-25T20:05:00.009-04:00

Hungry?

I've been sharing my recent races so it was high time I got back to the food. I posted a blog earlier about my pumpkin muffins and only thought it was appropriate to remind everyone that it's still pumpkin season and I can't help myself. I made another 2 dozen chocolate chip pumpkin muffins for my HR team at work, but this time I changed up the icing from cream cheese to buttercream. YUM. I actually like them sans icing. Heat one up in the microwave, add a little butter and viola, breakfast (or dessert, or a snack, or with wine...).

I'm not the only family member with a food fetish. I'm Sicilian, and my Italian family revolves

around food. My Aunt Gina makes the best arancini's you will ever taste, and my Dad's

meatballs are a coveted recipe. My Aunt Felicia use to run a restaurant here in Richmond called Mama's Felicia's with the best pizza and spaghetti but unfortunately it recently closed after the horrendous economic times as did my cousin's cafe - Cafe Nuara's in the west end. But there's hope just yet! Sal and another cousin of mine,

Steven, plus their close friend Victor decided to

open up a pizzeria in the museum district of Richmond called Belmont Pizzeria. A pick-up and delivery establishment, Belmont Pizzeria has everything from pizza, to calamari, to eggplant parm subs and homemade cannoli's. They will soon have their licence to sell beer and wine too. The combination of wine and the fact that they deliver up until 3am on the weekends is a healthy girl's nightmare and every late night bar hopper's dream. Definitely a great addition to a city lacking in it's late night options. Bravo!

If pumpkin muffins and Sicilian pizza aren't your thing, let's move on to the rest of the weekend, which included homemade french onion soup and baked oysters! First, my roommates and I at #413 have always been fans of french onion soup. We'll try it anywhere we go, and compare to the best we've had. For example, Starlite's french onion is a big fat NO. Too oily. Republic's french onion (with Gruyeres instead of the common swiss) is a definite YES, along with Panera and Can Can. We decided to try out hand at it too. I would rate out first attempt at homemade french onion soup a 7. We used fontina instead of swiss and mini french baguettes toasted with the fontina on top. The soup was simply 2.5 chopped onions, 80 oz of beef broth and about a cup of wine. Since we made it in the crockpot, the alcohol didn't cook out of the wine and it tasted terrible. Once we brought it to the boil however it got a lot better. Paired with J.Lohr's Chardonnay and a little rosemary salt blend, and you've got yourself a pretty damn good meal! Since our craze for french onion soup is usually during the winter months, you will probably see another posting or 2 on any additional attempts at homemade french onion, or a snow day trip to some bar that offer's this delectable soup!

To top of the homemade soup, we also made baked oysters. October is when oysters are in season and to pregame before my sister's oyster roast, the #413 girls made a wonderful assortment of oysters, cooked with various toppings. My sister Becky and her husband Cory received 2 gorgeous pewter oyster trays for their wedding a few years back. This tray can go in the oven, sit on a stove top or even on the grill. It's truly an awesome piece of cookware. As you can see, all you need is a jar of shucked oysters, and the rest is up to your creativity. We tried the following toppings: Lemon pepper, goat cheese, old bay, Frank's red hot, Rosemary and Salt, and minced garlic. the toppings boil up around the oysters in the oven and made an excellent appetizer for any meal. Easy to make - literally we picked anything we could find in our kitchen to dress the oysters and it was a huge success! Now if only I can keep my sister's oyster trays forever... Will she notice???

Triathlon Photos and Results

2010-10-18T22:02:00.009-04:00

I know I already posted that I completed my first triathlon, but this is even bigger. I'm sharing my triathlon photos despite how horrid they really are. I'm also sharing my stats. I can't decide if they are good or bad or just standard for a first-timer triathlete. Who knows!

The bike portion of the race was definitely my favorite. I'm usually terrified of the bike and not good at cruising down steep hills and especially climbing up them. I managed to do both fairly well, especially due to the amazing bike I had to work with. I can never thank Laura enough for

letting me use her killer road bike for the race! I don't know why i'd ever consider posting a photo of me running in a 1-piece bathing suit but I thought it was necessary to show all aspect of the triathlon... And how stupid I look running to the transition area barefoot, in a speedo and carrying my sweats and flipflops that I tossed to the side before the race began.

Then the best part: Crossing the finish line. What triumph I felt as I sprinted over the chip sensor and into the crowd of triathletes. It was so overwhelming I could hardly breath. Or was that from sheer exhaustion??? At least these photos show one of my greatest accomplishments in my fitness history. I can't wait to do more next year!

And here are my results... I had to have my other co-worker translate for me since I didn't understand all the numbers...

Place 321 = overall place of all racers

No. 652 = race number

Name Jeanne Nuara = you

S F = female

Age 27

Div/Tot 18/38 = 18^th of 38 females in the 25-29 age group.

Div F2529 = name of your division

Rank 383 = swim rank of 383 of all racers

Swim 10:04 = swim time

Pace 40:13 = swim pace… not meaningful

Rank 522 = rank of time spent in transition of all racers

Tran1 6:08 = time in transition 1

Rank 257 = rank of bike time of all racers

Bike 42:46 = bike time

Rate 17.4 = bike average speed in mph

Rank 444 = rank of time spent in transition 2

Tran2 2:00 = time spent in transition 2

Rank 308 = rank of run time of all racers

Run 28:44 = run time

Pace 9:16 = run average min per mile

Penalty 0

Finish 1:29:38.96

Pumpkin is back in Season!

2010-10-11T20:34:00.001-04:00

Last Sunday was October 3rd, the beginning of the season for Pumpkin everything! I am not a baker. I love to cook, not bake. Baking requires exact measurements and exact baking times. I love to throw ingredients in a pot and see what happens. However, once the weather cools and October comes around, I get in the mood to bake, and the main dish is always pumpkin bread or muffins. I can make dozens of muffins in an afternoon and plenty of loaves of bread. The batter is also to die for, I can't help but taste it every now and then! I also try to make my baking someone what healthy. I use whole wheat flour, egg beaters, apple sauce (sometimes... to replace veggie oil), and baking splenda. This year I added cream cheese icing... The outcome? Total bliss:

Conquering my first Triathlon

2010-10-11T20:11:00.001-04:00

I did it! I completed my first triathlon all by myself. Well... I had a little help and plenty of support. Two of my co-workers played a large part in my training up until this event. First, a manager at our company is a triathlon coach along with his wife for a company called Endorphin Fitness. Ever since I showed interest in participating in a triathlon, Brian has been encouraging me to go for it. He invited me out to a triathlon "practice" that he and few of his friends do in the summer. I was too scared to go it alone so my boyfriend came with me. We had a blast swimming in the James River by Robious Landing (James River Park) and transitioning to our mountain bikes where we completed an obstacle course throughout the park, followed by a quick trail run. It was great. I loved every minute of it. My other co-worker, Laura, is a Lunachic. She also came with me to the triathlon practice and took me out on bike rides to prepare me for the race. She let me use her road bike for the race. It was incredible. I definitely wouldn't have been able to do the race with them, and of course the support of my boyfriend. He and his son Brett came to the race to see me cross the finish line.

The weekend before the triathlon I race in the Capital 10 Miler. It was a great race to practice for the half marathon in November, plus, I did it alone, which I thought would be a good idea to adjust to doing the triathlon alone. It definitely helped. The photo above is from the Capital 10 Miler. I'll definitely post photos from the triathlon as soon as I get them.

I did however get my time results for both races:

Captial 10 Miler: 1:29:21

Sprint Triathlon: 1:29:36

Creepy that i finished both races within 15 seconds of the same time... Just sayin'.

Anyway- more to come on my races... I should probably share some more food photos soon since I have a ton, but for now I've been in training and race mode, so I'm more excited to talk about that.

Running Solo

2010-09-28T14:48:00.000-04:00

I did it. I signed up for the Capital 10 Miler and I'm running the race solo. I decided to signed up anyway since I'm doing the sprint triathlon next weekend all alone too, and I think running the Capital 10M will help calm my nerves about my solo triathlon race. Besides, 10 miles will be great time to be on my own, collect my thoughts and enjoy the view. The race goes through downtown Richmond, Oregon Hill and ends right at the Capital. I certainly won't be alone as there will be plenty of other runners with me. Plus, I am scheduled to run 9 miles this Sunday anyway for my half-marathon training. At least I get it out of the way early in the weekend!

Actually, now that I think of it, it's definitely good I'm squeezing my training in early Saturday morning. Not only will it help me get use to the "race environment" for the real run, but there's another race immediately after the Capital 10M that same day I'm participating in... Don't worry. I'm not crazy to do 2 races. The reason being is that the 2nd race is called the OK5K, and it involves lots of drinking!

The OK5K is a 5k run and you stop at various bars throughout downtown Richmond for a drink in between. my cousin Greg runs the event (his German Club) in line with the Oktoberfest events throughout the area. A few of us did it last year and had a blast running across the Manchester bridge to Legend's where we enjoyed a pale ale out of the deck looking over the water. It was a lot fun and we're very excited about participating this year for sure! You should too... Go to OK5K.org for details. We will be starting at Penny Lane around 11am!

California Here I Come

2010-09-19T15:10:00.000-04:00

I'm back from the west coast with lots to share! Aside from the beautiful weather, steep roads and mountains, and excellent shopping, San Francisco offered an incredible spread of food to choose from. My co-worker Jessica and I flew out to San Francisco last Tuesday morning at 6AM to work out of our sister company's office out in Novato. We landed around 12PM west coast time and after checking in at our hotel, freshening up, we immediately went in to work the rest of the day. Exhausting, I know. Afterwards, we decided to get dinner immediately and go to bed early so we can keep our brains on east coast time. We decided to try Boca Steak House. After ordering a delcious bottle of blended red wine (half off bottles of wine on Tuesday!), we selected ground lamb empanadas to start, and we both went for the petite hanger steak with duck fat fries. It was awesome to say the least. On Wednesday, we both woke up at 3AM, still on east coast time. I tried to go for a run in the hotel gym, but my body could only drag me through 3 measly miles. Instead of hitting up lunch in their huge cafeteria, we were invited to their HR chili cookoff. This was awesome for me since I love chili, and especially a cookoff where I get to try multiple types. We had plans to head to wine country after work to eat dinner but with the 45-min drive ahead of us, we decided to bag the idea and just grab dinner at Wildfox. Jessica wasn't feeling well and staying close by seemed like the best thing to do. It worked out great because we ordered 2 specialty pizzas and split them - filet mignon, mushroom and gorganzola, and procciutto, arugula and smoked fontina. YUM. Such a comfort meal, plus I never eat pizza anymore so this was a huge treat for me (I figured if I'm traveling and they are gourmet pizza, then its okay to splurge, right?)...

I got in another 4 mile run during my stay in Novato, then we headed into the city to spend out last night in a hip hotel in Union Square - Le Meridien Hotel.

On the way into the city, we decided our trip wouldn't be complete without stopping by In and Out Burger. They are only franchized on the west coast so we went for the double cheeseburger and split it between the 2 of us. After crossing back over the Golden Gate Bridge, we stopped by Lands End, but it was too foggy to see anything around us. After a few wrong turns and a drive-by of Fisherman's Warf, we finally made it to our hotel. Seated in the center of the financial district, our hotel view of the San Francisco Bay bridge and enormous office buildings was beautiful. We decided to walk around Market St. and Westfield Shopping center where we visited the 2nd largest Nordstrom in the US among other stores. Afterwards, we enjoyed a delicious "French Sparkle" martini with an elegant cheese tray in our hotel bar, then headed to Ozumo for dinner down by the water. I had the most amazing sushi roll filled with toro, avocado, asparagus and sprouts, wrapped in a daikon radish. It probably ranks as one of the best rolls of I've ever tasted... Dessert included assorted fruits dipped in dark chocolate fondue and a homemade guava sorbet. To top of it all off, we were told that Michael Jackson's brother Randy was sitting next to us... Not sure though.

Overall the trip to Cali was great. Got all my work done and definitely enjoyed the sights, sounds, tastes and scenes, even despite the long flights from coast to coast.

Half Marathon Training Begins

2010-09-09T19:46:00.000-04:00

It's that time of year again... Half Marathon training begins! After my amazing Labor Day weekend slash birthday week celebration, I am back from Boston, refreshed, overfed, and ready to carb-load all the way to the finish line.

Plus, I got new running shoes a few weeks ago to kick off the training season right. Mizuno Creation Waves. Pretty cool, huh? So far, they are amazing to run in so I'm pleased.

John and I have decided to use the "Break 2:00 or Bust" half marathon training schedule by Runner's Word Magazine. It's a 10-week training program designed to help runners complete a half-marathon in under 2 hours. Last year, I ran my first half marathon. My goal was to break 2 hours and to my surprised I did! My time was 1:57:32 and this year is the same goal. I have no intentions of beating my last year's time since I think breaking 2 hours is good enough for my level of fitness and specifically running. John has never done a half-marathon, but he's going to kick my ass regardless...

With that said, I feel to share John's "spill" on Day 3 of half marathon training...

The training schedule for week 1, day 3, had us running a 5 mile tempo run with 3 of the miles at a 8:54 pace. We were doing great, breaking 9 minute miles the whole way and I think closer to a 8:30 pace. We did our usual Riverside Drive run but added a loop to the Huguenot Bridge and back to get the extra mile in (our regular loop is only 4 mi

les from John's house to Pony Pasture and back). We were approaching the end of the trail portion of our run at about mile 4 and I look up to see John flying through the air onto the ground. The poor guy tripped over a tree root at about 7.5 miles per hour, skinned his knees and covered himself in dirt. After I knew he was okay, I immediately took a photo when we got home to share on my blog, hehe.

Day 3 and already a man down. These 10 weeks will be quite an interesting journey.... Wish us luck!

Shipping out to Boston

2010-09-05T17:15:00.000-04:00

Welcome to Boston!

I love this town. Every time I come to Boston I want to move here. My twin sister lives here, great friends all around, great sights, scenes, and of course food. Not to mention great movies are filmed here. If you haven't seen The Departed, you are totally missing out.

Lucky for me,

Hurricane Earl ended up being a total wimp and did not

screw up my trip to Boston over Labor Day weekend for my 27th birthday. I flew in on an earlier flight though, just in case! My twin sister, Weezie and I took over the town, and as if I don't say this every time I visit Boston, this weekend might just be one of the best. To start, we took a stroll through Boston and stopped at the Barking Crab, a little seafood dive right on the Harbor. We enjoyed fish and chips and of course a Lobster roll, a New England Tradition. The view was beautiful and the weather was perfect. And take a look at our incredible crab cake appetizer to start. Delish! Anyway, we wrapped up the first night with dinner at Zen, a killer sushi restaurant in Beacon Hill (near Weezie's apartment), followed by Sake bombs and a local bar. Hurricane Earl soaked my clothes and flip flops, but certainly not the mood as Weez and I celebrated our 27th b-day together.

Saturday: I decided to cure my hangover with a run along the Charles River. Now I know I brag about the great trails and riverside runs I have back in RVA, but this run pales in comparison. The fresh sea water wind whipping my face gave me the kind of energy only negative ions can do when they come off the surface of the water. The theme song to Boondock Saints and Braveheart came on my iPod Shuffle during the run and I swear that can't be a coincidence, right? Fast forward to Sunday morning... I decided to go on the same run but this time I'd cross the Mass Ave Bridge over the Charles River and run along the other side, only to cross back over the river once more on the Longfellow bridge. Words can't describe how beautiful it was. Hands down the Charles River run beats out the San Diego Harbor, Pony Pasture and all the other runs with great views. It was about 75 degrees too, which was absolutely perfect.

Left: The Mass Avenue Bridge; Right: The Longfellow Bridge

The other reason this weekend tops my "best weekends in Boston" list is because I got to go to my first Red Sox game at Fenway Park! We kicked our Saturday with lunch as Baseball Tavern across the street from the stadium. Weezie's roommate works the rooftop at the restaurant and naturally wrapped up lunch with a few shots and a trip to the liquor store to hide a few mini bottles (or as Bostonian's say "nips") in our purses for the game. Fenway Park has old wooden seats and a traditional feel to it. It was truly a great experience.

Following the game, my sister took me up to Top of the Hub, the restaurant on the top of the Prudential Building, where you can see 360 degrees of the Boston skyline. It's quite the view despite the $12 mojitos and expensive brie appetizer. Definitely worth it!

And speaking of views, Weezie and I decided to walk to Charlestown, MA and have lunch at Tavern on the Water, a harbor-side restaurant similar to the Barking Crab, but on the other side of the harbor with a view of downtown Boston. About a 2-3 mile walk, we eventually sat down for lunch, enjoying their incredible bloody mary bar, their thick and hearty new england clam chowder, and some of the best tuna tartare I've ever had. I was so full, I didn't even bother trying the teriyaki flank steak skewers that Weezie ordered. It was the best day, spent with my wonderful twin sister. We eventually walked back, and caught an afternoon matinee before I had to fly out that evening. "Going the Distance" was a perfect movie to see since it has a strong sister bond story line to it. Plus, Weez and I LOVE Christina Applegate. I mean, who doesn't?

Left: Twin sister, Weezie; Right: Me at Tavern on the Water in Charlestown, MA.

What a great weekend. Thank you Weezie and the Boston crew for one of the best birthday weekends ever! I definitely had a blast and I can't wait to make it back up to Boston again soon!

Birthday dinner at Edo Squid

2010-09-02T21:05:00.001-04:00

Oh holy Jesus. We just had the best dinner ever at Edo Squid. Was planning on going to Pescados but wasn't craving Latin/Caribbean seafood anymore. John ordered the duck and it was monumental. Happy birthday to me!

Birthday Week has Arrived

2010-08-31T21:59:00.000-04:00

I've been behind on posting and I need to make an effort of posting more often. I feel like I need a story to post but since I remembered that this blog is really just for me to share my thoughts on food and fitness, I can just write whatever (and whenever) I want!

So, here it goes... This Thursday, September 2nd, I turn 27. I can't help but think back to my life at 26 and truly see a difference from where I am today. I think 27 will be a good year, and things will change for the best. I had a lot of fun at 26, and especially living in #413, but it's nice to finally slow down a bit and enjoy the rest of my 20's at a different pace. And when I say different, what I really meant to say is I'm changing my pace entirely.

I am digressing. I want to talk about my birthday week instead. It's finally here! In just 2 days I will turn 27, woohoo! This week has already started off with a bang, too. My team and I went out to lunch at Umi, one of my favorite sushi restaurants in Richmond.

I will digress again on the subject of sushi... I also love Osaka for their killer "Starburst Roll" pictured here. The other best sushi place in Richmond definitely comes from Mai Sushi in the Village Shopping Center. There, my top three. I'll get back to the point.

So, today was a good day. And this week is only going to get better! Tomorrow, I have a birthday breakfast with my HR team and then it's off to La Bamba for birthday dinner with a few of my girlfriends. I can't wait! It's cheap mexican downtown and great Sangria. My favorite. Thursday, my actual birthday, and John is taking me to Pescados, a restaurant I loved when I went there for my older sister's 30th birthday. They serve the best Latin/Caribbean seafood I've ever had. They made Style Weekly's 50 best restaurants and RTD's top 12. Just look at the tilapia fish tacos, will ya? So good.

What's almost more exciting than my actual birthday, is the fact that I am flying out to Boston, MA on Friday to celebrate my birthday with my best friend, soul mate, confident, and pretty much the coolest person on earth, Weezie: My Twin Sister! We get to turn 27 together and celebrate up in Boston where she lives. I can't wait! I haven't been up to Boston since St. Patty's weekend, one of my favorite times in Boston (let me tell you, it's insane!)... We are heading to Zen for our birthday dinner for a couple of sake bombs and of course, good sushi. I imagine we'll shop and walk around Boston on Saturday or go to Legal Seafood for lunch. My favorite breakfast place in Boston is by far and away the Paramount in Beacon Hill. Truly it serves the best brunch I've ever had. I love that I can get an egg-white omelette with ham and cheese plus a side of pancakes. I'm already getting way too excited for this trip and it's only Tuesday night!

All I have to say is if Hurricane Earl gets in my way during any part of my birthday week, it's on.

2010 Fitness Goals

2010-08-12T22:13:00.001-04:00

Like many fitness junkies, I love to sign up for various races as a way to stick with my fitness goals. They keep me motivated to run harder, swim longer, or bike faster, whatever it may be. This year beats every year prior in terms of the number of races I will participate in. So, I thought I'd share my 2010 Fitness Goals on my blog. Sharing my goals makes me accountable and more likely to stick with them too!

Let's start from the beginning... Every year I run the Ukrop's Monument 10k. It's the one of the most popular 10k races in the United States, and I'm pretty sure I r

ead somewhere that it's number 26th in the

world. Not bad RVA. This year, I finished in 51:31, just about 40 seconds slower than last year. I hope to break 50 minutes next year.

Then there was the Pony Pasture 5k. We broke 25 minutes, which is a PR for me! It was a gorgeous run along Riverside Drive. The sun was shining and the James River rapids were moving fast beside us. This was my first time participating in this race. I look forward to running it every year for sure. What was more depressing was the fact that by the time we go to mile 1, racers had already turned around at the half-way point and were approaching mile 3 of the race. Ah well. Winning first place is not one of my fitness goals to be honest. My goals are for me. I compete with myself!

So those races are the only two I've completed this year so far. Now it's half-marathon season! Last year I completed my first ever half marathon here in RVA. About 5 weeks before the race, I realized I had slacked off over the summer and needed to get back on track. I had just moved in to #413, the nickname of my roommate's and my house in the fan, and the parties were epic. However, several parties later, I noticed my wallet getting thinner and I was getting fatter. I needed something to motivate me to start eating healthy again, and even if I didn't eat as healthy as I wanted to, I needed a goal that required me to run off all of the food and alcohol I was consuming. And so that's when I signed up for the half marathon. 5 weeks later, I was running the half in the pouring rain, not sure if I would really reach my goal of breaking 2 hours. When I crossed the finish line, I checked my stop watch and it read 1:57:32. Happy Day, I broke 2 hours!!! It was the greatest feeling in the world and I knew I was hooked. So I signed up again this year and while I have no plans of breaking last year's time, I still have the same goal to break 2 hours.

But wait, there's more! In addition to the Richmond Half Marathon this year, I decided to add another half marathon to my fitness goals. A good friend of mine's family has a beach house on Kiawah Island near Charleston, South Caroline. My sister went to the College of Charleston, and I absolutely love that city. When my friend told me she and her mother planned to run the Kiawah Island Golf Resort Half Marathon, and invited me along, I agreed. Why not? It's in

December, so at least it'll keep me running through the food-coma holiday of Thanksgiving. Plus, another friend of ours is joining us, so it'll be a fun girls trip down to beach! We plan on arriving a day before the race so we have a day to rest after the drive down, plus we will probably get massages afterwards! It'll be a good time and a lot of fun. Definitely looking forward to this one!

And last but not least... I signed up for my first ever triathlon!

The conversation of participating in a triathlon first came up last year when my older sister brought up the Smith Mountain Lake Triathlon. We got very excited about the idea and worked ourselves up to committing to the race. I even joined a $65/month gym just to have access to a pool. I have never been a swimmer even when I was a kid- I played softball instead. Short sprints and not a lot of long distance; That's what I was good at. I was also overweight and slow... Anyway, we ended up not following through due to my sister's knee injury and to be perfectly frank, my chicken self. After reading up on the need to prepare for 58 degree water and prevention methods for hypothermia, I realized this particular Tri was probably not the best one to be my first. I also didn't have a bike at the time.

That was in May- one of the very first triathlons of the season. Now it's August and I've been training for the Napier Realtors Richmond Sprint Triathlon on October 10th. I officially signed up (90 f'ing dollars later), so it's a go, folks. All alone. I'm a tad scared.... okay a lot!

My training has been thanks to a few co-workers who have been wonderful supporters and a great resource to me. They invite me to these practice triathlon sessions where we swim up and down the James River, hop on our bikes and ride through the park, followed by a trail run along side of the river. It's quite the adventure and I feel much more confident that I may actually pull the real triathlon off! I also should give many thanks for my amazing boyfriend who has not only been supportive and motivating, he has participated with me in the practice triathlon sessions as well. Thanks babe... I owe you!

So there you have it. My 2010 Fitness Goals... er... Races to support my goals. When I think about fitness goals, I really have one major goal: to stay healthy and fit. The whole reason I started to blog was because I truly believe in good food and good health. So wish me luck and I'll keep you posted on results!

Tuesday Night Special

2010-08-07T18:33:00.000-04:00

Every fan restaurant in #rva has a special deal on a certain night of the week. I love looking up happy hour specials, "date night" specials and of course I'm "that girl" who surfs restaurants.com for the best $25 gift cards money can buy (yes, I can get $25 gift cards for 2 bucks!). I thought I'd share a particular favorite, mainly because I don't think of crab legs being a specialty in Richmond. F.W. Sullivans, at the corner of Stafford and Main (formerly Easy Street), offers a Tuesday night special of a bucket of crab legs (3 clusters, approximately 1 lb.), and corn on the cob for $10. Honestly, where can you find such a good deal for just ten bucks? And it's a LOT of crab. Unfortunately, I'm awful at removing the shells so it took me a good hour to finish the whole bucket. Defintitely a must if you want a good deal for cheap... Get crackin'!

So while this bucket had plenty of

food, don't you feel like crab is just not enough to satisfy you as a meal? We sure didn't... So what do the girls of #413 do when we are still hungry after eating a bucket of crab legs? Hit up Red Lobster for some cheddar biscuits, that's what! Somehow, we got this crazy idea to pick up cheddar biscuits to-go. You can order a dozen of 'em for $3.99. What a bargain. And boy did we enjoy them... It was a great way to round out our cheap meal for the night, and an awesome breakfast in the morning too!

Mayor of Buttermilk Trail

2010-08-02T23:39:00.000-04:00

Since I just won the mayorship of the Buttermilk Trail yesterday on foursquare (#nerd), I thought I'd share two of my latest and greatest hobbies that I picked up over the summer.

I've always been a treadmill runner. When I first started running, I'd focus on endurance and

consistent speed as I trained my body to run longer and faster. Now I know

exactly when my muscles will start to fatigue based on various speeds and times without even looking down at the stats on my machine. I'm perfectly comfortable staring at the same crack in the brick wall in front of my treadmill for a full 5 miles and not even think twice about it. I actually enjoy it. It's a chance to blank out my mind, forget about everything and just run blindly. I don't even enjoy people watching, imagine that!

But recently I've picked up a new hobby. Trail Running. At first, it was awkward. Tripping over tree roots and rocks, unstable ankles as I try to "run" down steep hills and then squat-run up-hill while my hamstrings scream in agony and my heart rate shoots to an all-time high. I didn't realize that trail running would be absolutely NOTHING like treadmill running. My first time on a trail was Buttermilk back in April. Buttermilk will always be my favorite I think. It was such a rush to run through the woods and along Belle Isle, leaping over boulders and avoiding tree limps along the path. My first thought was the movie Avatar and every time I run I still think about that damn movie.

So now I've had the opportunity to try other trail runs and they all are different in their own special way. Like Powhite Park. That place has a huge half pipe that I never thought I'd run through but I did it, screaming the whole way. Forest Hill Park has an incredible view of a man-made lake at the bottom of the trail, followed by the steepest hill I've ever had to climb. Although most of the time I feel like I'm going to throw up after this up-hill sprint, after that sensation goes away, the feeling of accomplishment eventually kicks in (after sucking in all the air I possibly can into my lungs while I recover).

I recently traveled to Abingdon, Virginia where I got to pursue my other new hobby of mountain/road biking. I'm not good at it, but with few months (or years) of practice I hope to actually keep

up with my other bike friends and not be scared of bridges anymore (Yes, a certain someone thought it was a good idea to bike across the Huguenot Bridge as my first ride on my new road bike...). My first time in Abingdon was nothing short of amazing. After a tour of the town, we stopped by the Farmer's Market to pick up fresh goat cheese, braised ground pork, dark chocolate fudge (made out of goat cheese), and marmalade to bring home to my Mom (she loves that kind of stuff).

After the Farmer's Market and our 4th or 5th cup of coffee of the day, we headed over to a bike rental store along Creeper Trail and rented our mountain bikes. We hit the trail and enjoyed the ride. Creeper Trail is absolutely gorgeous. I've never seen views like this in Virginia. Who knew this kind of scenery was right in our backyards? The trail went through rough roads, long wooden bridges over small waterfalls, and stretches of grass where cows dined as we passed by. We got about 9 miles out, just 7 miles shy of the town of Damascus before the sky fell on us. We were already covered in rain and mud, but turned back anyway to enjoy a chili dog at the Old Alvarado Station for lunch (about half way along the trail between Abingdon and Damascus) and watched the rain fall.

As soon as the rain lightened up, we hit the trail home, trying to beat out other riders and runners as we raced to the end. It was quite the experience despite the soreness in my butt and legs. I was looking forward to a long hot shower and maybe another cup of coffee. Or a beer.

The rest of the trip was fantastic, but that'll be another story since I wanted this post to be about my new outdoor adventures in running and biking. Trail running has transformed the way I look at my normal fitness routine. It's definitely opened up a new door of opportunities and fun. I don't think of it as exercise at all even though I reap the benefits of just that. As a result of picking up new activities, I'm training for my first triathlon and hope these adventures will help with my training. I'm also somewhat of a chicken and these adventures have made me a little less fearful, which could be a good thing or a bad thing. We shall see!

Banh Mi Throwdown

2010-07-27T17:58:00.001-04:00

What a great idea... Create food competitions with various specialty dishes for a panel of judges and audience to taste and judge! My sister, our best friend and I went down to Cafe Gutenberg to attend the Banh Mi Throwdown last night - a competition where chefs Jen Mindell and Garrett Berry of Cafe Gutenberg battled against Patrick Harris, chef and owner of Boka Truck in creating the best Banh Mi – a Vietnamese sandwich made on a baguette and is one of the best tasting sandwiches I’ve ever had. I’m not a professional writer nor food critic (and don’t plan on being one either), so I won't go into details on the history of the banh mi sandwich or all the ingredients but feel free to Google it!

Once the chefs created their sandwiches, samples were passed around to the audience and the judges table for review...

The sandwiches were delightful. Cafe Gutenberg's pork banh mi was very traditional, full of flavor, and tasted great. Even the tofu banh mi was awesome. However, I am loyal to Boka Truck and anything with heat. Patrick's banh mi packed a lot of spice, which always gets my attention. I loved the toasted sesame seads and sriracha on absolutely anything is always good. The judges all agreed that Patrick used too much mayo (3 different aoli sauces were drizzled all over), and that was probably the weakest link, but otherwise Boka Truck's banh mi provided more flavor than Cafe Gutenberg's version. Boka Truck orders their baguettes fresh from Catina (Vietnamese bakery behind Horsepen) and have a light buttery crispiness to them that melts in your mouth (....or mouf!). Take a look at the photos below, and tell me if you don't drool just a little...

To top it all off, it was one of the judge's birthday (@rvafoodie) and his wife provided us with mini cupcakes by Pearls, another delightful treat to wrap up the evening.

I really hope more food competitions pop up in Richmond soon! You'll certainly find me there!

Dan the Bike Man

2010-07-25T14:45:00.000-04:00

My roommate and I went to a bicycle yard sale over the weekend. It was advertised on Craigslist. Sketchy as hell, but I was so close to buying this used mountain bike for $60 bucks. If anyone is looking to buy a used bike, I have Dan the Bike Man's number if you want it!

Weekend Bliss

2010-07-25T13:48:00.000-04:00

Since I decided to start this blog over a weekend filled with awesome RVA food, I think I'll share my experiences with you since they are fresh in my head... er... stomach?

We'll start with dinner at Julep's New Southern Cuisine. If you ever want to be wined and dined southern style and with class and elegance, Julep's is the place to be. I felt so cared for during the entire meal. The service is excellent and the atmosphere is quaint, sophisticated and comfortable. Every time I've dined at Julep's, I pick a seafood entree. Last night's Seared Florida Grouper was a pure delight. The Citrus-Smoked Paprika Glaze was served with Lobster Meat, Roasted Sweet Corn-Vidalia Onion-Avocado Salad and Lime-Chili Butter Sauce. The fish was hot and tender while the cool salsa underneath made for an excellent combination. And always try their soup. Soup is one of my favorites things to eat, and their crab bisque was nothing short of heavenly.

Next up: Millie's Diner! I've been wanting to try Millie's every since I moved to the Fan 3 years ago. While brunching in the Fan is fun and eventful, the trek down to Church Hill is worth it. The restaurants down in Shockoe Bottom and Church Hill have incredible menu's, and to-die-for brunch options. Millie's Diner is no exception. My first dining experience at Millie's rocked. We ordered Castro's Mess and of course 2 rounds of bloody mary's. Both are hot and spicy, just the way I like my food. I've included the description of Castro's Mess below along with a photo. Let me tell you, there was no mess left after we finished our entire plates of food.

Now all that's left to do today is hit the trail for a long run. And eat leftovers of course.

Introduction

2010-07-25T11:13:00.001-04:00

"May the best of your yesterday's be the worst of your tomorrow's."

Welcome to my blog. I've been toying with the idea of starting a blog to share my passion for food and fitness, just like everyone else. I'm a native of Richmond, Virginia. Made it a stone's throw away to Charlottesville to attend college at UVA. Pursued my odd obsession with Russia by studying abroad in St. Petersburg the summer after college, and landed back in Richmond for good, settling down in the Fan, where every 20-something belongs.

Ah, the good life. That's been a major theme for me as every year passes. I look back and realize how lucky I am to have such an amazing family, wonderful friends, and fulfilling experiences. I hope to share some of "the good life" in this blog, focusing on my most passionate hobbies of food and fitness. Yes, I will also throw in a plug or two about foreign policy and other interests of mine.

So, where to begin... I feel that I should start at the beginning so you can understand the foundations of why I am so passionate about food and fitness. I grew up in a large Italian family. My Dad is Sicilian, second generation and full of knowledge and insight. My Mom is a product of West Virginia and pure motivation. I am 1 of 5 girls, and most importantly, I am a twin. My twin sister is my best friend, my confidant, my soul mate, my life saver and everything in between. You will hear me talk a lot about her, that's for sure.

Let's fast forward to my my not so distant past. If you can imagine, growing up in a large Italian family lead to large meals, large clothes, large everything. I was overweight from since I can remember and it was tough. But in February 2007, I decided it was time to change my unhealthy habits and turn over a new leaf. I had always been athletic growing up, but I certainly didn't eat well. When I decided to join Weight Watchers, I never thought it would truly change my life. The program taught me to eat right. It provided me with the education and tools to make healthy decisions and understand my boundries. The added bonus was that it allowed me to launch my creativity with what I cooked and the things I could eat. I love to cook, and Weight Watchers was the key to reinventing that hobby.

And so, here I am, 3 years and 45 pounds later. During that journey, I also started running. Running was my new routine to add to the new foods I was eating. I wouldn't say I'm an addict, or even that good of a runner, but I love it. I've had the pleasure getting a "runner's high" on a couple of my runs and the feeling is incredible. I sign up for various races year-round and that helps motivate and feed my habit. I completed my first half marathon last year in under 2 hours and I'm damn proud of it! Once running sunk in, I picked up other activities such as kickboxing, swimming, biking, and bikram yoga. I love to try new things and love to learn. I look forward to sharing many adventures with you all as well. Hope you're hungry... You are in for a real treat!