Cilantro is trying, but not so well.
Chocolate cake? Nope. This would be the chives that aren't growing.
And finally, I present to you parsley fuzz.
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Chia Challenge: Day 10
Basil is the only one that looks decent.
Cilantro is trying, but not so well.
Cilantro is trying, but not so well.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
RagNOT Relay
I'm supposed to be packing my gear right now for the relay, but I’m not. Long story short: our team captain is in the hospital and the race organizers are willing to defer our registration until next year so that’s what the majority of our team voted to do. The end.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Chia Challenge: Day 5
Five days into the Chia challenge and I have, clockwise from the top:
- two pots of fuzz (a.k.a. cilantro and parsley)
- one pot of tiny basil babies
- one pot of Chia growth sponge with chives sleeping below
- two pots of fuzz (a.k.a. cilantro and parsley)
- one pot of tiny basil babies
- one pot of Chia growth sponge with chives sleeping below
Monday, September 22, 2008
Weekend Recap a.k.a. Trying to Breathe
Saturday - Ran a great 18-miler then started feeling "cootie-ish" after breakfast. Did some chores and hoped that it was just my allergies acting up. I started feeling worst as the day went on so I spent most of the afternoon camped out on the sofa. By early evening it was clear that I officially have a cold. This doesn't happen often and this is such bad timing with the relay coming up on Friday and having to be at the customer site for the following 2 weeks doing training. Ugh. Sorry, back to the weekend...
Steve and I met up with Kim and Steve (a couple who did the St. Anthony's triathlon with him) at Haandi in Bethesda for some delicious Indian food. Despite feeling like I was chewing with my mouth open the entire night it was great to catch up with them. Kim is a nurse in the Navy and they'll be moving to Japan in November. I'm so excited for them! Of course the biggest downside to their move is that they'll need to figure out another way to keep up with Lost since it can be downloaded overseas.
We've all already talked about Steve and I coming to visit and doing a marathon or tri while we're there.
Spent the remainder of Saturday night and early Sunday morning gasping for air. Congestion sucks monkey butts.
Sunday - Managed to get out of the house to run some errands including buying a new pair of running shoes. :) Cross your fingers, toes, eyes, and whatever other body parts are crossable that I'm able to breathe and run by the time the Ragnar Relay rolls around.
Steve and I met up with Kim and Steve (a couple who did the St. Anthony's triathlon with him) at Haandi in Bethesda for some delicious Indian food. Despite feeling like I was chewing with my mouth open the entire night it was great to catch up with them. Kim is a nurse in the Navy and they'll be moving to Japan in November. I'm so excited for them! Of course the biggest downside to their move is that they'll need to figure out another way to keep up with Lost since it can be downloaded overseas.
We've all already talked about Steve and I coming to visit and doing a marathon or tri while we're there.
Spent the remainder of Saturday night and early Sunday morning gasping for air. Congestion sucks monkey butts.
Sunday - Managed to get out of the house to run some errands including buying a new pair of running shoes. :) Cross your fingers, toes, eyes, and whatever other body parts are crossable that I'm able to breathe and run by the time the Ragnar Relay rolls around.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Wii World of Sports
It was a wild day of Wii bowling at the office. In an unexpected upset that shocked the Wii world, the previously undefeated Ash Kickers, lost to the 4-1 Ice Cream Dream Team. (Unfortunately, neither of which is my team.) Team Cobra Kai tasted its first kill as they defeated Two Turkeys in a tight match. The Write Stuff, a junior team of tech writers, continues to struggle. Earlier this week they lost in a close game to The Wedgies - ouch. Today, a substitute player was brought in to replace the ill star player in their game against the Double-Wide Dream Team; it was a hit and run that brought the Double-Wide's record up to 2-4. Although this was only the sub's second Wii bowling game, he still managed to beat yours truly's score of 114. My Wii Mii seemed to sob uncontrollably at the new record low since the start of the league.
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Weekend Recap
Friday - Dinner at Chez Helen's (mom-in-law) with Steve's sister Christine and her 3 kids. We all talked to their older bro Rob out in Houston who was waiting for Hurricane Ike to visit.
Saturday - Sweaty morning run around the neighborhood, followed by breakfast and resealing the shower. (Yay! It's finally done.) Steve and I headed off to Rockville to pick up our race packets for Sunday's half-marathon. Picked up a gift for my brother Rob at the running store and picked up one of those foam rollers while we were there. We tried the roller on our IT bands (band that runs from your hip down to the knee) and that !@#$ing thing brought tears to our eyes. After our mini torture session we stopped by a party that one of the guys from our running club was having for a few hours. Came home, had dinner and lights out.
Sunday - Alarm went off at 4:30 so that we could get our butts over to Rockville for the race. Don't ask - I can't tell you how often I ask myself why I do this. Even at 7:00 when the race started it was already hot and humid; this was going to be ugly. Steve and I ran the first 10 miles together at a decent pace, but he decided to slow down after mile 10 while my sweaty, nasty self tried to keep up the same pace. I finished the 13.1 miles in 1:57 and some odd number of seconds. Steve finished a few minutes later. After chowing down on some post-race fruit, bagels and pizza we drove to Mom & Dad's to shower and celebrate Robby's bday. Well, there wasn't too much partying going on since I napped while the boys watched football. We feasted on steamed crabs and an assortment of filipino ice creams (see blog entry below). Flavors this time included mango, fruit and bean, and corn and cheese. It was more corny than cheesy, but tasty.
Saturday - Sweaty morning run around the neighborhood, followed by breakfast and resealing the shower. (Yay! It's finally done.) Steve and I headed off to Rockville to pick up our race packets for Sunday's half-marathon. Picked up a gift for my brother Rob at the running store and picked up one of those foam rollers while we were there. We tried the roller on our IT bands (band that runs from your hip down to the knee) and that !@#$ing thing brought tears to our eyes. After our mini torture session we stopped by a party that one of the guys from our running club was having for a few hours. Came home, had dinner and lights out.
Sunday - Alarm went off at 4:30 so that we could get our butts over to Rockville for the race. Don't ask - I can't tell you how often I ask myself why I do this. Even at 7:00 when the race started it was already hot and humid; this was going to be ugly. Steve and I ran the first 10 miles together at a decent pace, but he decided to slow down after mile 10 while my sweaty, nasty self tried to keep up the same pace. I finished the 13.1 miles in 1:57 and some odd number of seconds. Steve finished a few minutes later. After chowing down on some post-race fruit, bagels and pizza we drove to Mom & Dad's to shower and celebrate Robby's bday. Well, there wasn't too much partying going on since I napped while the boys watched football. We feasted on steamed crabs and an assortment of filipino ice creams (see blog entry below). Flavors this time included mango, fruit and bean, and corn and cheese. It was more corny than cheesy, but tasty.
Monday, September 8, 2008
It's Go Time
My Chia herb garden for the first ever Chia Challenge arrived today. WTF is this you ask? It's a little game that Maricel, her friends and I have to see who can grow the healthiest herb garden. We'll all be taking pics every 5 days to track our progress. Stay tuned!
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Thanks for visiting Hanna
Friday - Mother Nature's latest spawn, Hanna, was expected to arrive Friday night. Since I knew we'd be staying in on Saturday, I headed to Lowes to pick up paint for our fireplace. Got home to find that Al had sent temporary tattoos of FOOD. Love it! Dinner consisted of a delicious chicken Burrito Bol and a margarita. Yum yum. Saturday's long run was postponed until Sunday which meant that I could have a drink and not worry about being dehydrated or oversleeping on Saturday.
Saturday - Headed to the gym and Target first thing in the morning. Steve was studying for most of the day so I finally painted our fireplace. I've been wanting to paint this for months but couldn't find the right color. We finally found Olympic's Brick Dust which goes with the print above the TV. Now I just have to get around to painting the rest of the room.... one day.
Saturday - Headed to the gym and Target first thing in the morning. Steve was studying for most of the day so I finally painted our fireplace. I've been wanting to paint this for months but couldn't find the right color. We finally found Olympic's Brick Dust which goes with the print above the TV. Now I just have to get around to painting the rest of the room.... one day.
In between coats of paint I manned some of our windows because the rain was starting to come inside. Ugh - guess we need to fix that. Also started recaulking/resealing our master bath shower. Step 1: remove old caulk. Note to self: next house, no ceramic tile in shower.
Sunday - Up at 5:30 so we could meet the running group for our long run. Some of the speedsters in our group talked me into joining them on a route that included some more intense hills. Even though it was hard, I was still able to keep them within 50-60 feet in front of me the whole time. Usually these people are out of my sight because they're so fast and (in my opinion) have genetic mutations that allow them to run fast without breathing hard or sweating. This weekend's reward for running 22 miles was pancakes, eggs, and a quick nap. I spent the rest of the afternoon removing the rest of the caulk from the shower. The new grout and caulk will have to wait because I'm in need of some veggin'.
Friday, September 5, 2008
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Crazy Thought of the Week
The North Face Endurance Challenge – a series of races ranging in length from a 10K to a 50-miler – is this weekend. There are about 8-9 people in our running group that are running the 50K (31 miles) as a training run for the JFK 50-miler in November. Everyone I’ve talked to who has done one of these ultras (races longer than the 26.2 miles of a marathon) has said that they’re actually easier than a marathon. The first person who ever told me this was Doug, the owner of our gym. This guy had never run a race of any length before he did his first 50-miler last year. He’s also OCD and is constantly straightening up or cleaning the glass at the gym; you’d think he was part of the cleaning crew and not the owner if you saw him. Anyway, hearing this from him didn’t convince me since, as I told him, he’s not normal.
Last weekend I ran part of my training run with Jeanna, a lady from our group who is 32 and has a 3 year old daughter. She’s running both the 50K and the JFK 50-miler for the first time this year. According to her, the training for the 50-miler isn’t that much different than training for a marathon. In her words, “the long runs are just longer.” Jeanna also mentioned that it’s perfectly acceptable and normal and recommended that you walk part of the course; most people walk up the hills to conserve energy.
Jeanna’s last point about walking the hills was confirmed by Tracy, a random stranger who happened to be running at the same speed I was on the latter part of my run last weekend. She had done both the 50K and 50-miler last year and had plans to do them again this year. Tracy, mom of 3 and a nurse, said that unlike the marathons that she had done, the ultras were done just for the joy of running. She said that last year she actually stopped at a couple of points on the course to enjoy the view. That’s not to say that she was out for a leisurely stroll since she finished the 50 miles in 9 hours and 4 minutes, but that she thought it was a much more relaxed event.
A majority of the course for these races are done on the trail which is easier on your body that running on pavement. Whatever. I decided to watch this clip of some ultra-runner’s recommendation for tackling the downhills of a course. Holy moly guacamole. Anyone who knows me well knows that downhills are not my friend whether I’m in skis or shoes. I’m actually more concerned about busting my a$$ and getting lost than I am the distance. Not that I’m seriously considering doing an ultra – not this year anyway. Next year? We’ll see. I’m not sure if this curiosity is because of the event this weekend, or if I really do have some desire to tackle something new.
Last weekend I ran part of my training run with Jeanna, a lady from our group who is 32 and has a 3 year old daughter. She’s running both the 50K and the JFK 50-miler for the first time this year. According to her, the training for the 50-miler isn’t that much different than training for a marathon. In her words, “the long runs are just longer.” Jeanna also mentioned that it’s perfectly acceptable and normal and recommended that you walk part of the course; most people walk up the hills to conserve energy.
Jeanna’s last point about walking the hills was confirmed by Tracy, a random stranger who happened to be running at the same speed I was on the latter part of my run last weekend. She had done both the 50K and 50-miler last year and had plans to do them again this year. Tracy, mom of 3 and a nurse, said that unlike the marathons that she had done, the ultras were done just for the joy of running. She said that last year she actually stopped at a couple of points on the course to enjoy the view. That’s not to say that she was out for a leisurely stroll since she finished the 50 miles in 9 hours and 4 minutes, but that she thought it was a much more relaxed event.
A majority of the course for these races are done on the trail which is easier on your body that running on pavement. Whatever. I decided to watch this clip of some ultra-runner’s recommendation for tackling the downhills of a course. Holy moly guacamole. Anyone who knows me well knows that downhills are not my friend whether I’m in skis or shoes. I’m actually more concerned about busting my a$$ and getting lost than I am the distance. Not that I’m seriously considering doing an ultra – not this year anyway. Next year? We’ll see. I’m not sure if this curiosity is because of the event this weekend, or if I really do have some desire to tackle something new.
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)