5k news

Today I ran my first sub 33 minute 5k! I think the official time was 32:52.

Can I run a sub 30 for the 5k? I'm starting to think I could do it...

Open That Bottle Night '08!

A seemingly innocuous article I read in the weekend edition of the Wall Street Journal several months ago metamorphosed into perhaps one of the greatest evenings of my memory. I wouldn't call myself a wine buff or wine snob by any means, but I would proclaim myself interested in drinking good vino. So, after making it through the WSJ article about "Open That Bottle Night," I knew I had found the reason for our next neighborhood food night.

If you collect wine, then you may have a bottle of wine that has become exalted. It is no longer fit for opening during the week. It is no longer fit for opening during a weekend dinner with friends before heading out on the town. It's purpose is to be consumed on the most special of occasions.

Long story short, "Open That Bottle Night" (OTBN) is a nationwide event held on the last Saturday in February (we went with Sunday to accommodate schedules). This is the special occasion. However you chose to celebrate, OTBN is the night you pop out that cork of that bottle you've been saving for years. Create an occasion. Create new memories. And so we did. Guests this evening - John, Kirstin, Kara, Jarad, Mark, and myself. Everyone contributed to the meal in someway (with Kara putting in much appreciated extra effort!)

On the menu -

Main Course:
French Salad (light and tasty)
Lamb Chops (marinated in olive oil, rosemary, s&p. Seared then baked)
Root Vegetable Medley (Turnips, Parsnips, Fingerling Potatoes, Carrots, Onion)
Bruschetta (with feta, kalamata olives, tomatoes, and capers)






Dessert:
French Caramel Brulee















And the wines:

1998 Chateau Haut-Marbuzet. The reason for the dinner. The darling of the evening.

1996 Barbera D' Alba "Boassa." A very pleasant surprise gifted by Mark accompanied by one of the best stories of the evening.

2006 Cotes du Rhone "Reserve Perrin." The backup wine of the evening in case the others faulted. They didn't, but this one was a great finish to the evening.

So, it all sounds dorky, perhaps a bit pretentious. However, it was the efforts of all involved to bring together a spectacular dinner with good friends that made this night worth more than untold riches. Does life get any better?

Enjoy my visual recap...

Random interlude...

So, before I post the results from my breakfast hunt, I thought I'd share this little nugget of hilarity with everyone. Courtesy of a friend:

"Stuff White People Like"

I think #62 is my favorite so far.

Building a Better Meal #1: Breakfast

So, to work on my goal of expanding my healthy eating habits, I've started to look into building better meals. I'm not looking to eat random things - one site I've come across has you eating a piece of tofu, some beans, a piece of bread, and a slice of fruit. I've got one word for that: blech.

I want something different.

I want my foods to pair well. I want them to taste good. I want to prepare them with spices. I want them to be something other people might eat as well. BUT! I want them to meet my nutritional needs. I want them to fuel my workouts, fuel my day. I want them to make me healthier (wealthier and wise might be a stretch...)

So, starting with "the most important meal of the day" - how do we build an ideal breakfast? From what I've read, it needs protein, carbs, vitamins & minerals. I've read you need .8g of protein (daily) for every kg you weigh. For me, I'd need roughly 70 grams of protein daily. Not sure on the total carbs I need, but I do know I want them to come from real things - like whole grains and/or fruits.
Vitamins and minerals seem to come along for the ride in a lot of foods, so I'll look at the store for primarily good sources of protein and carbs, and then select vitamin & mineral choices from those.

Currently, I eat a piece of whole-wheat toast with crunchy peanut butter, a cheese stick, and a small glass of milk. I enjoy it. I am go-go-go in the mornings, so I'm not looking for something immensely stimulating. I like fast. Can I have fast and healthy?

I'm off to the store to find some answers. In the mean time - what do you eat for breakfast? Is it healthy, convenient, or both?

Downhill from here?!

I ran my first 5k! I've been putting in 2.5 miles lately on the treadmill. Tonight I ran to 2.5 and started cooling down with some fast walking. I walked to 2.75 miles and noticed I still had energy. "What the heck," I said in my head, "I can get to 3.1 miles!"

And I did.

I've got my first time - 38:29. It's not world-shattering. It's not the best time ever. It IS however, 1/253rd the speed of sound. Mach 1, I'm on ya.

Now we're cooking!

So, I just added a new widget to the side of the screen - Kendo's shared items! These are my little golden nuggets of information found across the web. Most relate to self-improvement, but some are just interesting and cool - like the rule 240 link!

Enjoy!

One Week Later - Rule 240

So, a little time off from blogging. Last week was very successful in terms of working out. Lots of miles run and some weights lifted. Nice. Also, not 24 hours after I learn of and share the concept of Rule 240 with a couple of friends does one of them actually invoke it! He called from the airport, we had a small refresher, and he got a new flight on a competitors airline. Wicked awesome! Basically, if your flight is delayed and it's not because of weather most older airlines will get you on the next competitors flight out of town - only if you tell them to "240" you!

The timing was just amazing. Literally within 24 hours, he invoked it!

Here's a little something interesting I picked up off a friend's blog. Enjoy.


1--Answer the questions below
2--Take each answer and type it into Photobucket (www.photobucket.com)
3--Take any picture from the first page of results and post. (click on the picture and copy the HTML code)
4--Based on the pictures, post your guesses as to what my answers are!

Don't explain, it's funnier that way!

1. The age you will be on your next birthday:



2. A place you'd like to travel:












3. Your favorite place:













4. Your favorite food:

















5. Your favorite animal:


















6. Your favorite object:


















7. Your favorite color:

















8. The town in which you were born:
























9. The town in which you live:

















10. The name of a past pet:














11. Your middle name:
















12. Your last name:

















13. One of your bad habits:
















14. Your first job:
















15. Your grandmother's name:
















16. Your favorite car: