Marathon Training Week #17 AND Thai Food in San Francisco

Marathon Training Week #17 included the following schtuff:
Miles run:  40.1
Days of rest:  4
Long run: 20 miles @ 8:13 pace (see this post for a recap on that.)

(I usually post these training recaps earlier in the week, as week #17 ended on Sunday, but it slipped my mind.)

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And continuing on with dwelling on my San Francisco food memories, I'd like to take a moment to share my Pad Thai experiences.

In case you don't remember, I am obsessed with Pad Thai.

The SPICIER the better.

And YES, it's funny because Pad Thai is the most generic, american type of thai dish, but I just love it so...the juxtaposition of the sweet and spicy gets me every time.  I would eat it every day, for every meal, if only it were good for you.  Alas.

Let me refresh your memory with these posts from earlier this year:

• Pad Thai on Valentine's Day
• Pad Thai in Florida
• Pad Thai in Washington DC
• Pad Thai on my Birthday in Richmond
• Pad Thai Picnic on Libbie Hill
• Pad Thai in New York

Naturally, I had to see what San Francisco had to offer.  I tried two different Thai joints.

Starting with the runner up, Malai Thai, in the Mission district of San Francisco:

My heaven, yummmmmmmmmm.....

This is right after lunch, we sat at that table in the window, nice people watching spot.

Drumroll please....

1st place goes to Osha Thai, also in the Mission district.  It had the best Pad Thai that I tried.  

I am on cloud 9.  Me with Tappan and my friend's mom (grew up with her in Arlington VA.)

Osha Thai won because:

• Pad Thai had a rich, dark color (the darker the better)
• Decent level of spice (although it could have been spicier...)
• Good mixture of shrimp (aka prawns for you san fran people) and tofu
• Cute little flower on the side
• Great ambiance

Anyone have any favorite Thai Restaurants that I need to make a special cross-country trip to visit?  What dish should I branch out to try?

Yes, I am obsessed.  And willing to travel.

Mission Chinese Food, San Francisco

During my recent trip to San Francisco, we stopped by the infamous Mission Chinese Food restaurant.

Mission Chinese Food is one of the three New York Times' Hottest Destination Restaurants, per Mark Bittman's May 25, 2011 article.

My friend told me about it and once I heard that it has super spicy off-the-wall Chinese fusion, I couldn't wait to try it out.

Yummmm.  These Mission Chinese Szechuan Pickles are heavenly.

It lived up to all the hype.

I heard that there is usually a long, long line so we were prepared to wait.  But fortunately, it only took 15 minutes.  While waiting, we people watched.  Many yuppies gathered around.

Very unsuspecting front...Mission Chinese is inside of this retired "Lung Shan" restaurant.

Check out the menu.  The ingredients are fresh, often local and organic.

If you're into amazing twists of flavors in your mouth with unexpected ingredients, this is the place for you.

For my entree, I got the Vegetarian Thrice Cooked Bacon (without bacon.)

Best part were the little rice cakes and tofu skins...

And Tappan got the Open Faced BBQ Sandwich:

Definitely NOT fitting that Mission Chinese sandwich in your mouth in one bite.

Very unassuming, hole-in-the-wall style decor inside of the restaurant:

Mission Chinese is a cozy lil joint

LOOK in his MOUTH...
some PBRs!

We went here after a 10 mile run and we were thirsty as anything.  Good thing they had these huge carafes of water.

Mission Chinese, we love you.

This place is so good that I'm thinking about flying back out there, just to get some more....and we all know how I feel about being in the air.  It's just THAT good.

OH I almost forgot to mention:  they had an 80's soundtrack playing the entire time.  Can't beat that.

Anyone tried Chinese Fusion before?

The only drawback I could find was that it was a little high on the sodium side, great for a post-run meal.

Flying High in the Sky

This is embarrassing.  Why can't I just fly like a normal person?

Before getting on my flight to San Francisco last week, I really thought I had kicked the phobia of flying.

• T would be sitting next to me
• flying to Santa Fe a couple months ago was painless
• major anticipation and excitement about the trip, thought that would overshadow the fear
• I'm not afraid of driving...which is sooooo much riskier than flying
• I know that being afraid of flying is completely irrational
• I had gone on a good sweaty run before the flight--- thought for sure that would cure any anxiety



I clearly sweated off like 20 lbs I look like a dehydrated shriveled raisin in this photo.
Obviously this is before rehydration post-run.

NOPE!

Didn't work.

The first leg of the flight did not go well and I felt like the plane was going to fall out of the sky.  Even though it was commmpletely smooth and normal.  Poor T even began to question his own security in flying every time he looked over at my nervous face and jittering hands.

I gave up and drank before getting on the rest of the legs of the flights and YEP, that was the solution.  Don't like how it came down to that.  

Made me feel yucky, like one of those suburban soccer moms who have to drink in order to survive their lives that they perceive to be miserable.  Not that I know anyone like that, but that's what popped into my head.

So the couple drinks made me a bit giddy and I subsequently took a ton of cloud photos.....  :)

Here are just a couple of my favorites:

I like the tall one out in the distance.
I also enjoy how the sky is so light near the horizon and then is considerably darker at the top edge/corners.

A decent land/cloud combo

Flying above the clouds, probably at cruising elevation (my favorite, most tolerable part of the flight obviously.)

So please, if any of you have conquered a prior fear of flying, please share what has helped you!

My girlfriend told me about a 1.5hour online tutorial about conquering your fear of flying, I'd really like to try that.  She says it worked for her.

20 Mile Training Run...DONE!

Today I ran 20 miles in 2:44:30, average pace of 8:13.

This is a huge milestone for me.  As always these days, it's a personal distance world record (haha, I love celebrating that each time) and it felt incredible.

OK so it obviously did not feel like 100% heaven the entire time, but it really wasn't all that terrible either.  Anyway, the feeling of accomplishment has already made me forget about any negative thoughts that may have gone through my mind during the run.

Somewhere maybe 3/4 of the way done?
Oh yeah, did I mention it was raining for the majority of the run?

I was in conversation the entire time (except the last two miles when I was alone), which as always made the time fly by.  I met a new girl and we kept together for most of it.

I got lost at mile 18 and couldn't find the water station.  That almost made me feel like giving up for 30 seconds.  Don't ask how I got lost...but to make a long story short, I ended up stopping in a bar to get a cup of water.  Place was empty except the bartender at that hour!  Should have gotten a beer now that I think back on it.

This route included some gross hills (this is in my book, mind you) in the middle of the run, perhaps around mile 10/11/12/17?

It looks like I picked up the pace a little with the last couple miles, with average paces of 7:40 and 7:36...looks like I was ready to be done at that point!  And I was by myself for these last 2 miles after getting lost, so I was really ready to be done.  PreTTY miserable.

We have two or three more of these 20 mile runs before the marathon.

When I got home, I jumped into my first ice bath and then headed off to brunch with my girlfriends.  More about the ice bath later.
Anyone else have any great long (or not-so-long!) runs this weekend?

Running Across the Golden Gate Bridge

Back from my trip to San Francisco!

The highlight of the trip was seeing my dear friends.  It had been years, but felt like months.  Literally.

The first day after arriving, T and I went for a 12 mile run, which included running across the Golden Gate Bridge.

Running across the Golden Gate Bridge

As far as I understand, the Golden Gate Bridge is essentially at the intersection of the bay and the ocean and although the rest of the sky was completely clear, there was some heavy fog hanging near the bridge.

Running on the beach in San Francisco...which was actually the bay.

the giant fog cloud over the Golden Gate Bridge

cruising along the path, cool San Francisco skyline in background

Check out Alcatraz!

The San Francisco Bay Bridge

Running in downtown San Francisco

Ended the run at this cool water statue:

1) I look like a horse getting ready to neigh
2) Reminds me of the Asian garden at Maymont

This face is upset that I'm squishing it

Anyone been running in San Francisco before?
This was obviously my first time since this was my my first trip to the city.  Went on one other sweet run through Golden Gate Park.
Does anyone like running while on vacation?
Yes, I always do it.  Wouldn't even toy with the idea of skipping a vacation run, they're my favorite way to explore and see a new city!

I'm Flying to California Today!

In a few hours, I'll be flying to California!

Getting my wings ready...

I will be checking out San Francisco (Thurs/Fri), Tahoe (Sat/Sun) and Berkeley (Mon/Tue).

My childhood best lovey friend, Cate, is getting married and I wouldn't miss it for the world.

In a few hours, I may end up looking somewhat disheveled like this at the airport.
This is from my last flight to Santa Fe a couple months ago...
Animal cracker pillow in hand of course!

Hate the flying part, but can NOT wait to get there and see my loves!

NASCAR Richmond, VA

Three words:  Jim Beam Suite.  

Yes, I know what you're thinking.  What was I doing at a NASCAR race?  It doesn't seem like a typical thing that would be on my agenda.

Yes, I am from Virginia, but based on my preconceived stereotypes of NASCAR, this isn't usually my scene.

BUT it actually was phenomenal!!!

T's friend was generous and kind enough to share race paces with us, which included:
-a ride in the Jim Beam mini-bus
-seats in the Jim Beam sky box with unlimited drinks and food
-pit passes to check out the infield before the race

Here is the super cultural night in photos:

You may have learned by now that I L-O-V-E fake tats.....oh and yes, this is a Jim Beam tat.
Pre-race in the pit.

V is for Victory Lane (Gatorade Victory Lane)

Edward-JimBeam-Hands (anyone watch Edward Scissor-hands when you were a kid?)

My favorite visual treat of the race

Danica Patrick's truck, check out that license plate

View from the Jim Beam Suite.....air conditioned, perfect view, winning!

My car, obviously.

Check out my neon car in the background.  I guess it was so humid that it blurred the camera?
I had to wear sunglasses at night, rubber was FLYING off the track.
Oh wait, I love wearing sunglasses at night, this was just a great excuse.

And last but not least...the mysterious stripper pole in the Jim Beam transportation bus.
Yes, that is the ceiling.

I had to get up early to run 18 miles the morning after this eye-opening experience (read about that in THIS post)...so I was definitely taking more advantage of the open food-bar as opposed to open drink-bar.  But that didn't detract from the fun of the night!

Do you usually stay in the night before you long runs?
YES, always!  I usually stay in and try to go to bed early before my long runs, this night was a bit of an exception.  We did get home by 11pm, but I was not able to sleep at all that night...which led to running 18 miles on not enough sleep.  Oops...

7 Layer Crazy Greek Dip by "How Sweet It Is"

Last evening, I went on an 8 mile fun run with T, 8:19 pace.  Discussed the future of the world.  Mixed in some decent hills there.

I've been running parts of the marathon course on my weekly jogs to get more comfortable with the route.  Maybe that'll make me more calm on Marathon Day?  (note how that's a proper noun, haha.)

On another subject, let me note that I am NOT, nor ever will be, a food blog.

...BUT I can't help but share this heavenly dip that I made.  I found it on the blog How Sweet It Is.

It is made of 7 layers, including greek yogurt.  So we know it's got to be healthy.

She has the most amazing photos, so had to steal borrow two of them:

Finished product from "How Sweet It Is"

Ingredients from "How Sweet It Is"

Here's my version of it:

Evidence of how non-housey I am...I put it in tupperware.  Wish I had some clear bowls.

It's almost funny how mine looks so unappealing..but it tasted AMAZING!

Anyway, I'm not going to reprint the recipe, because you can easily find it on her website here.  

I just wanted to tell you all about how miraculously delicious and healthy it is so that you can go try it for yourself!

Patrick Henry's Pub

My friends and I recently checked out Patrick Henry's Pub in Richmond, Virginia.

What an amazing hidden GEM!

It is located in Church Hill, just blocks away from my favorite view in the city (see this post for my Valentine's Day celebration at that spot).

It's one block from St. John's Church, where Patrick Henry gave his famous "give me liberty or give me death" speech.

The building is totally historic, built in the 1800's (maybe 1855?...don't quote me on that, the waiter told us but I already forgot) and features an english pub, garden patio, and two dining rooms.

The pub hosts Trivia once a week on Monday nights from 9pm to 11pm.  The winner at the end of the 17 week trivia season is invited to participate in a tournament in Atlantic City to win $10,000...that's some high stakes trivia.

Here's the dining room, with my two very dear friends :)

Sort of matching shirts on the left and right...didn't plan it

The patio is huge and has a very cozy, yet very spacious feeling.

We all know how I love my outdoor spaces...

Not claustrophobic at all.

And there was this hidden garden at the far end of the patio:

The patio and the garden were off the street, tucked away behind walls.  I felt like I was in a secret garden of some sort.  Isolated from the rest of the city, in a good way.

We drank a variety of beers, including a delicious 8.5% alcohol beer for $6.00, which is a reasonable price for getting a drink like that around town.  We also tried some french fries, which were delicious, can't really go wrong with fries.  Tappan got chicken fingers, which had some good flavor to them.

The plan is to return for $3 burger night (I think this happens on Tuesdays.)  Even though I don't eat burgers-- maybe I need to convert to the meat side.

Does anyone else hate hamburgers like I do?

Never liked them, I feel like I'm biting into a piece of raw meat, just by looking at them.  But I have gotten a lot better about drinking tons of milk and branching out into more types of meat, so perhaps it's time that I revisit this issue and start eating burgers.  They're a good source of protein, might be worth it.

18 Mile Run, Marathon Training Week #15

Everybody laughs when I tell them that I ran a "personal world record distance" Saturday morning.  :)

But it's true!  

18 miles is the longest run that I've ever done and it's fun to be excited about that.

Week#15:

Miles run:  36.3 miles

Rest days:  4

Long run:  18 miles, 8:30 pace, hilliest run in my WORLD!

Each step of this training process I am so thankful to be able to run and to accomplish new milestones.  Last year at this time, I was out of commission with a stress fracture in my pelvis.  

5 months of waiting to be able to run again really makes you appreciate the ability to be out on your feet, no matter what the distance!

On Friday night before my long run, I could NOT sleep.  I only got maaaybe 3 hours of sleep (3:30 to 6:30) and for those of you who know how much I like to sleep, you know this is not ideal or normal for me.  More about Friday night later :)

I didn't make it to the running group on time (also strange for me), so I had to run with a group that runs half an hour later than my group (but they do the same course)...it was an out and back, so I just caught up with my group halfway through and ran back with them and tacked on the extra 3 miles at the end of the run.

It was the hilliest run that I've ever done in Richmond, which I am excited about because I know that will make my legs stronger.  I plan on doing more practice runs out there.

Alright, must run off to work nightshift now, but I have LOTS to post about when I get a chance to catch up....

Including good times like this:

Notice a theme here with the fake arm tats?

Marathon Training Week #14

Week #14:

Miles run:  44.5 miles

Rest days:  2

Long run:  14.35 in 1:56:21, average pace of 8:07

Well shoot, I didn't mean to stray away for over a week, but apparently that's how long it's been since I've checked in.  

I had quite a few days off of work, not even sure what I did but somehow I've been keeping very busy.

Lots o' fun little life tidbits to post about, but for now I'm just going to settle for this quick running update.

Here's the Garmin screenshot of my most recent "long run":

This run was conversational all the way.  It was made up of three smaller loops, which made it feel like it was s-h-o-r-t.  This training team is trying to trick us!

Alright this is just a quick hello for now, I'm going to check in later this week, full day tomorrow!  Can't wait to catch up on everyone's stuff.