It's Bacon...On a Stick!

It seemed like a good idea at the time.  (I feel like that could be a good alternate title for this blog.)

It seemed like a GREAT idea, actually.  I love bacon.  I love Orioles baseball.  When the two came together to bring me "Bacon on a Stick", I had no choice but to try it.

One of the great things about Bacon on a Stick is that there are no surprises.  The name is exactly what it is.

The second great thing about Bacon on a Stick is that half of the ingredients are bacon.  (I'm sure stick aficionados are happy that the other half of the ingredients are stick.)

I'll be honest, though, bacon-lover that I am, Bacon on a Stick was not for me.  I like my bacon very crispy.  This was not especially crispy.  It wasn't floppy bacon, mind you, it was just very, very thick and so it still tasted fatty.  If you're a fan of very thick bacon, you'll love it.  It was well-seasoned and the lean parts of the bacon were tasty.

If I get it again -- and I make no promises -- I might see if they can do an extra-crispy slice for me, as they are cooked right there at the Bacon on a Stick stand.

(I had another picture of me eating Bacon on a Stick in which I looked less troll-like, 

so I decided to post this one.)

 

 And, since this blog post is completely unrelated to running or injuries and kind of worthless, anyway, it can only be improved by a random picture of Adam Jones at the plate:

The Orioles would go on to lose the last game of this series with the Dodgers after taking the first two, but their fans went home with full stomachs.

Boardwalk Empire

One of my favorite runs is the vacation run.  I enjoy trying to squeeze a run or two in when we're in vacation.  It's a great chance to break up the monotony of running in Central PA, burn a few of the undoubtedly huge amount of calories I've eaten or drank, and in some cases scout out our location.

This time, we were away for a few days (with help from very good Livingsocial deal) at a place we know pretty well, but in which we had never gone running -- Atlantic City, NJ.  Since we're considering the Atlantic City Half Marathon in October (I originally thought I might try to make my comeback a few months early and run the Marathon, but I think it's safe to say that ain't happening), I wanted to get some miles in.

Highs were in the mid-60s on Sunday, Monday, and today, so I was also hoping to enjoy some cooler running weather than we'd gotten here in York, where summer temperatures and humidity were in full swing last week.

I'd had vague plans of running both Monday morning and this morning (Tuesday), but having hung out "A Dam Good Sports Bar" for several hours where we celebrated the Orioles' 17-inning win over the hated Red Sox (in which their DH pitched two scoreless innings to close out the game), drowned Flyers-related sorrow, and watched the Phillies embarrass the Nationals, I found that sleeping in on Monday morning was very welcome.  

(Unfortunately after this completely epic win and winning 5 of 6 against the YankSox, the O's seem to have reverted to their 1998-2011 selves as they take on the Rangers.)

We had a fun day on Monday exploring the very cool new Revel casino, shopping in the AC Outlets, sampling the wares of the Tun Tavern Brewery, winning some money on penny slots, and eating dinner at a 75-year-old Irish pub (creatively named "The Irish Pub").  But my resolve was strengthened to pound the pavement -- mean Boardwalk --  this morning.

 (Home Sweet Casino)

(Revel)

I'd love to say I went out there and felt great, but I'd be lying. Two days of beer and bar food does not make for an excellent run, but still, I went 6.4 miles (splitting the difference between Garmin and dailymile maps) in 59:15, which I think is my second-longest run of the comeback. I started at our hotel, Resorts Hotel & Casino, and ran north just past Revel, which is the northernmost of the Boardwalk hotels, and then turned south and ran southbound to the Atlantic City-Ventnor border.  I felt not so good at for the first three but then headed south, but felt pretty good for the second half.  

 (Resorts seemed soooo far away, but it was really only about 2.5 miles north of here.)

I think I prefer a road or sidewalk to running on boardwalk, but it was nice to run somewhere different with interesting scenery.  It was another cool, windy morning but the sun was strong even at 7:00am, and I was very quickly sweating profusely.  It wouldn't surprise me to have similar weather on half-marathon day, but I think eating and hydrating much more smartly the day before will have a profound effect.


Now I need to focus on getting in good runs the rest of the week so that I feel fast and confident for HACC Dash on Sunday. I'm not in as good a shape as I was for it last year, but if we get a nice cool day I've shown that I'm capable of occasional bursts of speed so a PR might be in reach.  Supposedly there's twice as many entrants this year, so another age group medal is probably not in the cards.

Losing Seasons

From my mostly-defunct Orioles blog:

For years, Red Sox fans have shown up in Baltimore with their "Fenway South" signs and their "Let's go Red Sox chants" and their arrogance. Last night, they were sent home packing.

The 2011 Orioles weren't especially good at baseball by major-league standards. But they played hard for 162 games and they didn't quit.

Hmm...I'm not very good at the marathon, but I didn't quit. This kind of makes me the Baltimore Orioles of marathon runners, doesn't it?

That's cool. I love the Orioles.



(Note: This post is meant much more in the spirit of "making fun of myself" and was just something stupid that I thought of yesterday, not actually serious criticism nor rampant negativity.)

Friday Haiku, Volume XVII

Football and baseball,
Running, not so much this week.
I choked like Boston.


It's been a busy, rainy week and I didn't do a good job getting the miles in. That's on me and I've got to do a better job...ok, that's enough of channeling my inner Andy Reid. At least I had a better week than the Boston Red Sox, who choked away their season at the hand of my beloved but bumbling Orioles.

I've got 18 miles scheduled for tomorrow, it's supposed to be cool (yay!) and rainy (boo!). If it's really bad out there, I could do 10 tomorrow and 8 on Sunday, but I would really like to get this one in and beat or tie my second-longest run ever.