Friday Bullet Points...Again

Friday bullet points seems like it might be the new norm around here until things get a little more interesting.

• I ran 5 miles yesterday in 48:31. I guess I'm a real runner again, now. (That's just a little joke based on the previous post.) Given that I was usually hitting six miles in 57 or 58 minutes, this probably isn't that far off normal pace. My 42:something 8K and 5-mile PRs feel light years away, though.
  
  
• It's been an ok week of running. In addition to yesterday's 5, I ran 3.1 on Monday night at what I would consider "max effort". This is where the lack of speed is really showing: 27:59. It's frustrating, but I'm not going to worry about it too much for now. I don't want to start speedwork again until I feel like my legs are stronger, but I am going to run one of my midweek runs (which I'll probably keep at no more than 3-4 miles for a few months) as fast as I can to give myself a measurement of how I'm doing.
  
  
• I've slipped off the wagon a bit this week in both strength training and dieting. We had our "anniversary" dinner on Tuesday night and a vet appointment last night, so it was difficult to stay in routine. (Or get in one, in the case of new leg program.)
  
  
• Unfortunately, this is going to get worse. Next week, culminating in the St. Patrick's 5K on March 11, is fairly normal, but the following week is insane. I'll be traveling Monday through Thursday for work and will be lucky to get any running in at all. (I'm going to try for a few miles on Tuesday night in Tucson and a few in Philly on Thursday morning). This probably means the best option for the TowneBank Shamrock 8K in Virginia Beach is to just take it nice and easy, which is a shame. If I could get some consistency in the next two weeks I think I could challenge my PR on that flat course, even in my weakened state.
  
  
• Submissions are closed for the Bad Photo contest. I will post them before the aforementioned business trip and allow two weeks for voting from the time they're up.
  
  
• Because you're all wondering, this is what I ate on Tuesday night at TJ Rockwell's. Believe me, it was worth every ounce I gained or second per mile I lost:

(These are called "Rhino Fries".
I say with confidence that there are no better cheese fries on the planet.)

MACON BACON BURGER
This creation features our 8 oz. black angus burger topped with a creamy cheese, ranch, bacon sauce. finished with bacon slices and golden onion straws. served on a pretzel bun

(I wish I had a picture of this. It was just as good as it sounds.)

Catching Up from Down South

Sorry everyone, another boring running-type post. Feel free to scroll ahead for adorable cat pictures.

I'm back. Not all the way back. Not that I was ever really "there", anyway. But, whatever. I'm back. I felt like it really took two weeks after the Philly Marathon-related Debacle before I really felt normal again. But after two well-paced runs, a 7-miler last Thursday and 10 on Saturday, I feel like I'm exactly where I need to be at this point to start training for Shamrock.

Of course, this week is a total mess. Willpower is not the problem, it's just a matter of logistics...which means I guess it is kind of a matter of willpower. I'm on a business trip to lovely Dallas, TX. And let me tell you this, all my sports-related antipathy to Dallas is not just hype -- it really does suck...well, at least the parts I've seen, which have been pretty much limited to the airport, highways and access roads.

The rental car facility was so far from the airport that there really should have been a connecting flight. There's a toll road that I was just magically on with no warning and supposedly drivers are somehow charged automatically and since I told the rental car people that I didn't think I'd be on toll roads now I'm probably going to wind up in a Texas jail. To get anywhere, you have to make these big loops since all the roads are divided. And where is the Jerrydome? I thought you were supposed to be able see it from space.

Anyway...back to my point. I brought all my running gear, and they're having the cold weather that I love, but since my hotel is nestled right off a highway access ramp and without sidewalks anywhere around, I settled on 40 minutes in the treadmill.

Don't get me wrong, it's a very nice treadmill, but it was also 75 degrees in hotel gym! That is why I wanted to run outside! Like I said, it really is a matter of willpower. I could have found a park or residential area, but at 9:30 at night in a completely unfamiliar city, I'll take my 40 treadmill minutes and be content with it.

The real problem, though, is this:

Not just In-n-Out Burger, which is awesome and which we don't have in Pennsylvania, but eating in general. To put it kindly, eating is one of my favorite things. Some people run to lose weight. Some people run because they really, truly intrinsically love it. I run so I can eat more stuff and continue to look relatively the same. But, when I'm on a business trip, I'm less restrained than usual.

It doesn't help that my client, which I'm not going to name, really took excellent care of the people attending the meeting that I'm here for. The attendees at the meeting are provided with a per diem allowance for meals, but when the client provides meals to attendees, it counts them against their allowance at a rate that's more costly than most conference-type food. Because of this, the people in charge wanted to make sure attendees got their money's worth. So, I had an egg sandwich and some fruit for breakfast. Not bad. Lunch? Bad. I mean, good. Delicious chicken in mushroom sauce. I was starving, so I had two lunches. I have no idea why I was so much hungrier than usual, but I still had room for some cookies (and conference cookies are always great!) at mid-afternoon break.

Later in the day, my colleague and I were lured by In-n-Out Burger's neon sign and promise of delicious burgers and fries. It was very good, even though I ordered a cheeseburger and got what I believe to be "Animal Style" by mistake.

I did hit the treadmill tonight, and probably will again on Wednesday. I hope to get to use the hotel's one set of weights tomorrow. But, I probably won't be able to keep myself away from the food.

After my workout, I rewarded myself with chocolate-chip oatmeal cookies, which my wife made me to take along. Did I mention I have the best wife ever?

(There were a lot more cookies...but I stress-ate a lot of them after getting to the hotel.)

She helped me out a little, though, replacing the butter with applesauce. Mmm...applesauce.

At any rate, I'm looking forward to getting home to my family and back out on the peaceful roads of Central PA.

And, without further ado, the cuteness:

(Higgy is "venting")

(There's no time like the present to lay under a Christmas tree.)

Mudhook Brewing Co.: York Just Got a Little Cooler

I ran, it was humid...yadda yadda yadda. Let's go off-topic again and then I'll blog about running tomorrow.

I've spent most of my life living in the suburbs of York, Pennsylvania, and for a town of its size, I actually think York is cool.

York is within reasonable distances of larger towns and cities like Baltimore, Philly, DC, even New York, and Harrisburg (not that Harrisburg is in the same class as the others), but I think it's also got a lot to offer on its own.

York is "The Factory Tour Capital of the World"; it served as the home of the Continental Congress when the Articles of Confederation, the United States' first attempt at a constitution, was signed, making it the first capital of the U.S.; the Revolution are Atlantic League Champs, it has a great rail trail (I have to mention that!); it has lots of golf courses (though not as many as it used to) and I think for that a town of its size it has lots of good restaurants!

Some of my favorites are Cobblestones, with a great bar menu and an excellent beer selection; White Rose Bar & Grill, which has very good food and a beautifully renovated outdoor dining area; and Field House, a sports pub in Newberry Township (going a bit north). This list is by no means exhaustive, of course.

York just got another great addition -- a brewery! Mudhook Brewing Co. opened this month at Central Market, and Chris and I checked it out for the first time on Saturday before our Revolution game.



In short, we were very impressed.

Mudhook currently offers four beers:
Panfish Pale Ale
Live Bait Amber Ale
Redeye Irish Red
Deep Sea Stout

Each glass is $4.50, and so the sampler at $5.50 seemed a good deal.


We liked all four beers! Neither one of us normally likes pale ales, but we both enjoyed the Panfish Pale Ale. The Amber Ale was the hoppiest of them, and the only one of them that could pass for a Troeg's brew (I say that as a frame of reference, not as a negative -- most of Troeg's beers are too hoppy for my taste). We still enjoyed it, but it was our least favorite of the three. The stout was excellent in my opinion. It was very smooth and refreshing. I do love Guiness, but Guiness is thick and heavy, and is not my choice for a warm summer day. The Deep Sea Stout had a good stout flavor but wasn't as thick and heavy. Very good.

The Redeye Irish Red was both of our favorite, and when we finished the samplers we each got an extra glass. Delicious!

Our food was very good, too. Mudhook Brewing Co. has a good selection of appetizers, and a dinner menu featuring burgers (you had me at burgers), chicken sandwiches, and hot dogs. You can select one of several topping combinations on your sandwich. I went with "Mushroom Madness", mushrooms, onions, and swiss cheese. Although burgers are my favorite food group, I went with the chicken since I'm supposed to watch my beef consumption due to gout. It was excellent, and the fries were good too.

We didn't have room for dessert, but the menu features a stout float, which intrigues me.

Everything about the place was great. We'll definitely be back!

If you want to learn more, you can visit the brewery's website at www.mudhookbrewing.com and it's facebook page here.

I guess I should mention that I'm not affiliated with the brewery or anyone working there in any way, nor was I compensated in any way for this review. I just wanted to share my opinion of a very good new place in York.

The Presence of Evil, Volume IV

I had the best of intentions yesterday. I drove into Philadelphia yesterday morning for an all-day meeting at my company's headquarters. I packed a bag with running gear to go for what I'm sure would have been a beautiful run either along the Schuylkill River or Kelly Drive, or maybe a less scenic but no less fun excursion over to my old apartment building at 42nd & Pine, just to see if the place is still standing. It was, after all, when I lived in this apartment that I made my first attempt to incorporate running into my workout regimen (not counting basketball practices, when I didn't really have a choice).

My plan made perfect sense, too. Rather than fight rush hour traffic out of the city at 5:30, I'd run for an hour or an hour and a half, and cruise easily home.

But after a really long, productive day of meetings, I was really tired. And many of my colleagues live even farther from the home office than I do, and get in even less frequently than the 2-3 times a year I make the trip in. So, I invited myself out to dinner at the Continental instead of running.

I'd love to say I regretted it, but I'd be lying.


Cheesesteak Eggrolls. Go to the Continental Mid-town at 18th and Chestnut and order them. (Well, not right now since they're only on the dinner menu.) Trust me on this one.

(Sorry to put out two of these in a row, but what I'm eating is usually more interesting than where I'm running...if I'm running.)

The Presence of Evil, Volume III

I love a good breakfast sandwich. I also love waffles. I love maple, too. So, when Dunkin' Donuts invented a maple-sausage waffle sandwich last year, they unknowingly created a pipeline directly to my wallet.


Now, they've brought it back, except now -- as if it wasn't already ridiculous -- the waffles are now blueberry waffles.

I'll be honest, I wasn't sure about the blueberries. I'm a maple syrup fiend, so I usually just opt for plain pancakes or waffles and load 'em up with maple. Oh wait, chocolate chips are good, too. But anyway...I was a little worried about how blueberries would mix with the taste of the sausage, egg, and cheese.

I was worried for nothing...the taste of blueberry is subtle rather than overpowering, and the delicious aroma of the blueberry waffles is a definite positive.

Really, the only negative is that this sandwich is only available through June, which means I'm going to be at Dunkin' even more than usual during the next month and a half...and I'm already there way more than I should be.

Evil. Evil. Evil.

The Presence of Evil, Volume II

Perhaps if the Tasty Baking Co. had invented these sooner, it would not be having such deep financial difficulties.

Take just one sniff of their maple syrup aroma and you too will be unable to resist.