13.1 miles doesn't sound like a very long way to walk. Especially not on a breezy spring day when you are filling out the online registration forms for a half marathon. Well let me assure you that 13.1 miles is indeed a VERY LOOOOOONG walk! Especially when the first 7 miles are just about all uphill. But the cool part is, when you finish it you feel fantastic!
I walked/jogged/sprinted the Baltimore Half Marathon last Saturday, along with 5044 other nuts. On mile 2 I met two gals who were going about my pace. Patty and Diane were a hoot to walk with, even when we were being yelled at by the grouchy lady who thought we 3 were taking up too much space. Thanks for walking with me ladies!
My finishing time was faster than I had expected...I gave myself 4 hours to do it, but finished in 3:31:05. Not bad for an almost 40 year old who did no prior training except one long walk to break in my new shoes. The coolest part is that you get a medal just for finishing....love that! Oh and you get two free beers, and an under armour shirt. Yum and yay respectively.
Bruce, Lani and Mom hung in there all day waiting to see me come across the finish line and were right on the barricades as I came through. Thanks guys!
And thanks to everyone who came out and cheered us all on. The people of Baltimore rock, and I really appreciated all the clapping and yelling, drumming, candy, chips and liquids along the way. Can't wait for next year!
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
The Simple things
Since Summer is in full swing, we are awash in picnics and cookouts. Afterall no sane person wants to stand over a hot stove in the kitchen when we can stand over a blazing grill in the backyard!
I'm not sure why but everything tastes better when it's cooked on the grill----the worst cuts of meat, marinated and grilled become delicious; vegetables are more flavorful; fish becomes almost exotic when tinged with woodsmoke. Heck we even grill pizzas!
But not everything can be grilled and you do usually need some sort of side dish on the menu. Last week I was called upon to provide a side dish for a group cookout, and thought I'd bring something most of the attendees probably hadn't had before (always a risk!). So I showed up with a heaping bowl of Tuscan Bread Salad. It's the easiest thing on the planet to make, but you should have heard the mmmmms and ahhhhs. So to spread the joy I'm sharing the "recipe" .
For enough for 8 people start with the following and adjust to your taste:
1 loaf of crusty peasant bread ---- I like Ciabatta
Olive oil
Red wine vinegar
2 or 3 cloves of garlic
1 pint of cherry tomatoes
1 jar of pitted Kalamata Olives
a small bunch of fresh Basil
Parmesan or Romano (or whatever cheese you like)
Cut the bread into 1 inch cubes and throw in a big bowl.
Slice the tomatoes in half and toss in the bread.
Tear basil into small pieces and add to the bowl.
Toss in olives.
Smash the garlic and add to the mix.
Grate about 1/4 c over the whole thing and toss to mix.
Now pour the oil and vinegar (I start with about 1/4 cup of oil and half that amount of vinegar) over the whole thing and mix well.
Here's the hard part: Let it sit for a few hours! It gets better as it sits, but if you can't stand the wait dig in!
That's it, couldn't be simpler but it's delicious and always a crowd pleaser.
Cheers!
I'm not sure why but everything tastes better when it's cooked on the grill----the worst cuts of meat, marinated and grilled become delicious; vegetables are more flavorful; fish becomes almost exotic when tinged with woodsmoke. Heck we even grill pizzas!
But not everything can be grilled and you do usually need some sort of side dish on the menu. Last week I was called upon to provide a side dish for a group cookout, and thought I'd bring something most of the attendees probably hadn't had before (always a risk!). So I showed up with a heaping bowl of Tuscan Bread Salad. It's the easiest thing on the planet to make, but you should have heard the mmmmms and ahhhhs. So to spread the joy I'm sharing the "recipe" .
For enough for 8 people start with the following and adjust to your taste:
1 loaf of crusty peasant bread ---- I like Ciabatta
Olive oil
Red wine vinegar
2 or 3 cloves of garlic
1 pint of cherry tomatoes
1 jar of pitted Kalamata Olives
a small bunch of fresh Basil
Parmesan or Romano (or whatever cheese you like)
Cut the bread into 1 inch cubes and throw in a big bowl.
Slice the tomatoes in half and toss in the bread.
Tear basil into small pieces and add to the bowl.
Toss in olives.
Smash the garlic and add to the mix.
Grate about 1/4 c over the whole thing and toss to mix.
Now pour the oil and vinegar (I start with about 1/4 cup of oil and half that amount of vinegar) over the whole thing and mix well.
Here's the hard part: Let it sit for a few hours! It gets better as it sits, but if you can't stand the wait dig in!
That's it, couldn't be simpler but it's delicious and always a crowd pleaser.
Cheers!
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