Chocolate + Running = Fun

We were completely impressed by the Hot Chocolate Run, We really couldn't think of anything that wasn't top notch. First, leading up to the race, Eddie didn't feel totally prepared, so it happened to work out perfectly since Eddie accidentally signed me up for the 5k and him for the 15k. Luckily they let us switch our registrations at no cost.

Pros
Gatorade at every hydration station and finish line, really nice touch since water just doesn't cut it at the end of a hilly race
Interesting snacks - Chocolate, Strawberry Marshmallows, Marshmallows - even if I can't see myself eating these while running, it made me smile
Enthusiastic volunteers - everyone at the expo and aid stations were super excited to cheer us on
Well organized - the most well organized race ever
No lines - From check in to gear check to food post race, the numerous volunteers and organization made it fast and efficient to get anything done, No lines for gear check! First time ever.
Port o potties - numerous in the beginning of the race and throughout the course
Swag bag - high quality sweatshirt plus they let us try some sizes on to make sure they fit with the ability to trade out sizes same day!
Food - the hot chocolate was hot and thick, I drank the chocolate ganache, because it was that good
Course - I was afraid of the hills originally, but they made the course interesting, and I loved the down hills especially after the 10k mark, just pure bliss.
Fun environment - great DJ and dance instructor leading the warm ups
Race times/Video postings - we got a kick of out seeing ourselves run across the finish line
Expo - cool vendors with great items to buy, like headbands and clip on carrying cases with plenty of drink and food samples
Overall - this is what all races should be like - full of energy, well run, with lots of great food

Con
Wish 5kers got a medal too - huge gold blinged out chocolate medal for 15kers only

We finished off our day with Mexican food and Chinese delivery. I sat in the Jacuzzi, and feel like I ran a half marathon. Thank you to my hubby for being my cheering section throughout this entire day. He missed out on a breakfast at the hotel to watch me finish. Glad we did this together hun. No more races for a while- it's in writing!

Our new Marshmallow Friend

Woke up at 5am, warmed up and ready to run.

How much fun is this? Marshmallow men hanging out.



Where's Eddie? I see you!



 

Greeted by Eddie and chocolate. What could be better? Banana, pretzals, ganaache, marshmallow, rice crispy treat, vanilla wafer, and hot chocolate.

Grateful in San Diego

The weekend started out with a gorgeous run from Solana Beach to Del Mar. Since the forecast said 90 degree temps, I was surprised by the cool morning. The ocean breeze was perfect. The best part the course was heading back with the ocean to my left and the train tracks to my right. I don't know how my coach and I ended up running 8 miles, but by the time we got back to Solana, I felt grateful. I list endless reasons why I love living in San Diego, but the morning run encapsulated so much of what it means to live out here.


There wasn't much time to dwell in my post run nirvana. A quick trip to Starbucks, and I was off to shop for our BBQ. With a cart stacked high with groceries, I headed home. Thanks to Eddie who has now won the title of Grill Master General, we dined on some delicious chicken drumsticks and hot dogs. I made a pasta salad and a white sangria. Having spent hours building patio furniture with our handy man this week, it was incredibly rewarding to share a relaxing day at home with friends. What can I say, my husband and I make a great team.

With our taxes behind us, Eddie and I went out for Mexican food. Even that was amazing followed by a 3 hour nap. What a weekend.


You can see the running path on the left of the train. It's on a cliff so you have panoramic views of the ocean.

A strawberry smoothie for breakfast. So good after a run! 

Eddie's little bundles of joy - twin nieces!  Guess they didn't mind the beard.

 

85 degrees, Not the Bakery

It's been darn right hot in San Diego this past weekend. Eddie is wiped out from our 10 mile race today due to the heat, which was way different from last year's race which was cool and overcast. We are pleased to report that this year was even better than last year's inaugural race.

Pros
Be a participant and a spectator at the same time, we were inspired by the top runners whizzing by
Gatorade at every station (real Gatorade and not watered down)
Plentiful water stations
Clean bathrooms at the race grounds
Talented bands
Energetic volunteers and race vibe
High quality tech shirt and medal
Cool swag we can purchase at the expo or prior
Discounted prices at the expo
Plentiful parking
No parking fee
10 mile is the perfect distance
Free beer
Post race food - love the halo tangerines! Bananas, pretzels, bottled water, bars.
Plenty of areas to stretch and enjoy the shade or sunshine

Cons
Limited food options post race (not that we would eat there anyways, but they only had gyros and fried food)

The day prior to our race, we stopped by the Lunar New Year Festival after our packet pick up. Not a lot to do for adults, but we ended up playing a game and winning a minion, followed by RV Trip, a movie Eddie had recorded for us with Dominos delivery. President's Day allots us one more day to recuperate. Seeing as Eddie is napping at the moment, we'll need it!

On Sunday, Eddie broke in our grill with chicken drumsticks that turned out perfect! It was charred on the outside and moist inside. I made jalapeno poppers for the first time, but since I took out all the seeds they weren't hot at all. The chicken turned out so well, we see many great grill meals in our future.

Lunar New Year Festival

The Year of the Ram

We did it again!

Juggling January - Superbowl Sunday and More

Sometimes it feels like we have one event after another. The month of January was a whirlwind. First, a trip to Las Vegas, where we finally ate at a buffet since we've always missed it for one reason for another. While the selection was good at Caesar's, I think I'd rather dine at a nice restaurant and avoid the lines. Upon our return, Eddie's birthday occurred the week of our work's national conference, which meant long days and nights and me staying at a hotel downtown while Eddie joined later. We had a productive week.

 

Prior to that week, we celebrated Eddie's birthday early. What's more fun than a night out at Applebee's? I feel like we've become true suburbanites. Eddie's birthday gift - a card and a clue, "East meets west in the emerald city", the box had two hats, the Seattle Mariners and the Yankees - both green for his upcoming St. Patrick's day trip. We're headed to Seattle in June for the game! Eddie is excited about his first trip to Safeco Field.

 

Following all of this was Superbowl Sunday. On the menu, wings, jalapeno poppers, fried pickles, mozzarella sticks, mortadella, cheese wrapped in pepperoni, pizza, chips and artichoke dip, guacamole, and salsa. The kicker is that all that was just for the two of us, which is okay by us. It was a tense game between the Patriots and Seahawks. Now, we're just recuperating from the previous events. Did I mention we're running a 10 mile race next weekend?

 



Ready for the game!

Ready to eat!

 

So Cal Half Marathon - Do we smell retirement/A Visit from Dad and Neil

With our 7th half marathon together under our belt, Eddie has threatened retirement after this cold and rainy half marathon. Those that don't run probably wonder why we keep doing the same thing. Those that do run realize that every race is different providing a totally unique experience and let's just say our readiness seems to vary per race also which also makes things interesting. This time, we were both not as prepared with Eddie running up to 5 miles and me up to 8 miles prior to the race. Miles 10-13 were the toughest - note to self- don't forgo water stations! Crossed the finished line and orange juice never tasted so good. My wonderful hubby waited for me at the finish line, but unfortunately, we missed each other. He hadn't even eaten yet when I saw him, but he brightened up after a bagel and banana. Overall, we enjoyed the race, and I'm really proud to have another half under our belt.

The best part was yet to come - a dim sum lunch fit for a king. Lucky for us, our hotel was close to our favorite haunts. We ordered a ton of food to go and ate outside, devouring it all in 15 minutes. It was way better than waiting in line to eat inside! The best meal ever! I love that food just tastes 100x more amazing after a half.

Dad and Neil visited after Christmas. It was great to have them, I felt like having them here gave as the green light to try new restaurants and eat out the entire weekend. My family insisted on BBQ so I took them to Phil's and as you can see they did not go home unhappy. The visit flew by too quick and ended with a home cooked meal by yours truly. For my 5 year anniversary gift at work, I chose the T-Fal steamer. It's been a great gadget for some really delicious meals.

As for our racing future, it remains undetermined, however, I have a feeling we'll get the itch for the next one soon.

So Cal Half Review 6.5-7 Rating

Pros
Well organized
Clearly marked mile markers and timers
Plenty of post race food/caffeinated OJ, Einstein bagels, cookies, bananas, water bottles
Flat course
Plentiful Parking
Convenient location near really good restaurants
Inexpensive hotel
Plentiful water stations
Saturday race so we can recover on Sunday

Cons
3 porto potties per rest stop - line backed up with 15 or more people - a 15 min wait at least
No real expo
No tech t-shirt just a white t-shirt
Medal was incorrectly labeled 2014
3 block walk to the car (Eddie's complaint)
Smallish race
Sparse Gatorade stations
Loop course was all streets nothing scenic
Crowded race - you're never going to alone - shoulder to shoulder at times
No real time race results

Getting excited to start the race!



How Eddie still loves me after getting him to run 13.1 miles on a cold rainy Saturday is beyond me.

Limbering up.

 

My first time seeing Eddie after the race. He waited at the finish line for me - what a guy!

Chipper!

Still smiling after 13.1!

 

Dad loved the beef ribs at Phil's.

My brother and Eddie who was too hungry to stay still.

Walking off bbq in Old Town visiting the Sheriff's Museum. Dad's always curious about how things work.

 

 

Merry Christmas!

The holidays came and went in a blink of an eye . We had a great time at our work holiday party and then rung in Christmas Eve with a surprise for Eddie, an American Christmas at the Hotel Del Coronado, a dinner and musical in one. We left work at 4p and while Eddie had no idea where we were heading, we arrived at the grand hotel at 5p, scoring the few spots left in the lot. Since we had a time before the show start, we sat outside next to a firepit and ordered a caprese salad and a beer for Eddie. It was a picture perfect night with a toasty fire and carolers nearby. As we neared the start of the show, we ran into a co-worker who was kind enough to take our photo. From there, we were welcomed into the grand ballroom by the performers who greeted us in character with cups of hot cider, salami, mortodella, and other goodies awaiting us. The show kicked off with introduction to the characters who set the stage for the early 1900s. Each course was introduced with a song. The four course meal ended with silent night and cheese cake (the best cheese cake ever by the way). By the time we got home, it was 10:30p. Eddie loved it!

The next day, I slept till 11a (which never happens, but I guess I needed it). Eddie went to church and picked up bagels and donuts. A great start to a great day as we ended up opening gifts and sharing some laughs. Thankfully, Carls Jr. was open since I forgot to get us something for lunch. Dinner included ham, corn, rice, stuffing, and crescent rolls. Too full for the apple pie I bought. As the meal concluded, Eddie remarked he was sad it's over. However, there more to look forward to. My dad and brother's arrival tomorrow, New Years, the So Cal Half, Las Vegas, National Conference, Eddie's birthday just to name a few.

 

Company Holiday Party...and the best dressed award goes to...

Looking forward to a great show at the Hotel Del Coronado

An Active Thanksgiving

Eddie often remarks, "Wow, we've had an active day." I'm not sure if Thanksgiving is supposed to be a day of rest. I suppose some look forward to doing nothing and watching TV, but it's so much more enjoyable to do something out of the ordinary, get outside, and use Thanksgiving as a kick start to the holidays. So this year, I signed us up for our first ever Oceanside Turkey Trot and donned our Carlsbad Running Lab shirts courtesy of my running coach who registered us as team for the race. It wasn't easy getting out of bed at 6a on a holiday, but once we were up, we were so glad to be together at the start line of a fun and fast race by the ocean. The mood was festive with many runners in costumes and turkey hats (much to Eddie's disappointment he never got one). Here's our take on the Turkey Trot and there's not a lot we would change.

Pros
Well organized
Nice quality shirts
Awesome medals
Plenty of bars and fruit at the finish
Flat course
Late start time 8:20a
Announcer continuously reminded the crowd to line up in the right corral

Cons
No water bottles - cups of warm water instead

While few places were open for breakfast, I managed to find a pho place close by. That meal was highly forgettable, but I did take Eddie to a new donut place that he really liked. Thanksgiving dinner consisted of turkey legs, macaroni and cheese, stuffing, roasted vegetables, rice, biscuits, and cranberry sauce. My favorite was the lingon berry/apple cider from Ikea that was slightly tart. We set up our first artificial Christmas tree while celebrating our first Thanksgiving in our new home. I love our scented tree ornaments that makes our home smell like a real tree. We decorated while listening to holiday classics.

My surprise for Eddie delivered to the office.

 

Eddie high fived this gnome named Jerome during the race.

Feeling chipper and ready to start the race.

 

The start line on a gorgeous sunny 65 degrees day.

Done! When do we eat?

The Carlsbad Running Lab Team