Minneapolis Taste Buds

Campus Club Centennial Cookbook

2011-01-29T13:56:00.014-06:00

Mark and I had a great time at the Campus Club Centennial Party last night!

My sister and Campus Club Executive Chef, Beth Jones, was signing copies of the new Campus Club Centennial Cookbook. Mark did the layout for the cookbook, and the Campus Club's graphics guy, Joe Burgmeier, did the beautiful photography.

The cookbook features many of the favorite dishes served at the Campus Club, including Beth's amazing creations like Irish Stew with Guinness, Chili, and Apple Galette, and Sous Chef, Jorge Ortega's, Steak and Strawberry Salad. Beth also featured many of our family favorites, such as Beef Bourguignon, our mom's pie crust, and my Strawberry Bread.

I love that the cookbook talks about easy substitutions, and features the local Minnesota farmers they work with. Many of the recipes include personal stories - Nettie's "Sure to Ge Me a Husband" Rice is one of my favorites.

The Campus Club Centennial Cookbook is available for $14.95. Call 612-626-7788 or click to buy the Campus Club Centennial Cookbook.

Race Weekend

2010-09-24T20:58:00.003-05:00

I'm very excited for Women Run the Cities 10-miler this weekend! I love the course and most of my long runs involve some or most of the route. I ran it the first 2 years but missed it last year.
Wondering if I'll PR . . . can't wait to get my cute shirt tomorrow . . . happy to be volunteering at packet pickup - my first time (long overdue). This is a great race to run with the New York City Marathon on the horizon. Can it really be just 6 weeks away?

Training for New York City Marathon

2010-08-22T13:52:00.006-05:00

Mark and I are getting very excited for the New York City Marathon on November 7! We can't believe we both got in.

I recently starting doing long runs with a friend, which makes training so much more fun. We finished the 13.1 Minneapolis Half-Marathon today and it was great! We had nice weather, a lot of shade along a beautiful course, and wonderful volunteers. Mark and Scout came out to cheer us on. Scout and I will have a much needed nap very soon. Golf is on now so that should help!

It's been a good summer of running, but I'm really looking forward to cooler temps and less humidity. Some of my mid-week runs have been pretty icky. The Red White & Boom on July 4 was very fun, but tough due to the heat and humidity. Thankfully it rained!

I have a shorter run next weekend and then the miles will start to jump quite a bit. Sticking with the Marathoning for Mortals plan, but I've learned to modify it when I need to. I don't like cutting back on long runs quite as much as they recommend and I'll add a mile or 2 on to some of the mid-week morning runs if I get myself out the door in time! I love speed day Wednesdays and feel lucky to have so many great training routes to choose from close to home. Today's race was no exception!

I'm running Women Run the Cities next month and am going to volunteer at a couple races this fall. I think it's definitely time to give back to the running community, which has given me so much.

We have our flight booked, hotel reserved, and just need to figure out how to get from our hotel to the ferry to the start in New York City!

Why We Love Taco Tuesday

2010-05-11T07:34:00.003-05:00

Mark and I are running the Fargo Marathon this month and we’ve been in the “hungry” part of training. We had our heaviest mileage a couple weeks ago, with our longest run on the 1st. I did 20 (following the Penguin’s program for the 3rd time) and he did 22 per Bart Yasso. Now it’s time to taper.

Mark could eat about 7 times a day. Full meals, not snacks. We’ve instituted Taco Tuesday at our house. We’re hungry, and we still have a good 30 pounds of ground beef from the ½-cow we bought forever ago. Our neighbors are hunters and gave us a pound of ground venison, which made for our best Taco Tuesday to date.

Oxendale’s, our favorite little grocer is stocking amazing lettuce right now, and my chive crop is out of control. We also chop up red onion, tomato, shred some Monterrey jack, and top it with taco sauce and Salsa Lisa.

We’re buying packets of seasoning but I think we should start crafting our own recipe. Any suggestions?

Brie Gorganzola & Apples on Baguette

2009-12-13T19:14:00.002-06:00

I'm home with the dog this weekend while Mark's in Tucson (recovering from the marathon). The fridge has been very empty these days with all of our traveling this month and it was finally time for a major trip to the grocery store this morning.

Tonight I made a great sandwich on a baguette from New French Bakery. I sliced the bread and added thinly sliced brie to one half and gorganzola to the other. I put it under the broiler for a few minutes and added thin slices of apple. For dessert I had a couple of Cuties clementines that I'm completely addicted to.

Running Season Coming to a Close

2009-12-12T18:23:00.003-06:00

8 months since my last blog post . . . guess it's been a busy year.

We ran quite a few races this year and we finished my running season with the Las Vegas 1/2-Marathon last Sunday. My very fast husband ran with me, which was so sweet! It was a great course with lots of bands along the route. This year they blocked off both directions of the strip for a much more exciting race. The volunteers were wonderful and everything was so well organized. We finished in 2:06 - would be been pretty close to a PR, but all that shivering at the start resulted in a potty break mid-race. Oh well. Mark didn't mind - he and the woman in line behind me had a nice laugh at the guy who ran out of the porta with TP hanging out of his shorts. Oh I hope he's recovered his pride since then!

Vegas was right up there with the Twin Cities Marathon - my only full-marathon this year. Halfway through training I felt like quitting. My head just wasn't in it and I'd had some terribly hot, humid, and miserable long runs that ended in tears. My husband's confidence in himself and in me motivated me to keep going. From there on out I was focused and motivated to have a great race on our home turf. Race day was amazing. Some sun, some clouds, and perfect temps in the low 40s. I recruited friends, family, and neighbors to come cheer us on. The spectator support at Twin Cities can't be beat. I had the perfect race. I actually had fun running a marathon, which after my first two, I didn't think was possible.

Race day was on my mom's birthday. She would have been 65 this year I dedicated my run to her that day. My motto during the marathon was simply, "keep running." There were times where I felt like I was being carried. I had the typical aches and pains, but I never hit a wall. I attacked everyone I knew when I saw them and stopped to talk for a minute or two and to thank them for coming out. Having people I knew waiting along the course was such a motivator.

I started to cramp a bit at mile 24. I stretched for a second and walked a bit next to very tall guy named Tom from Missouri. He unfortunately acquired a knee issue a couple weeks prior and was really hurting. We picked up the pace and ran the last couple miles together, chatting the whole time to distract us from what we were really doing. It's amazing how much you learn about people while running. I set a PR of 4:47:04. I enjoyed every minute of that race. I couldn't walk very well the next two days but after a massage I recovered quickly. Three weeks later we ran the Monster Half, my favorite local 1/2. I ran into someone from high school at the starting line and we ran the whole thing together. It was a blast and it felt great to be running so soon after a marathon.

Mark will finish his racing season tomorrow morning at the Tucson Marathon. He's trying to qualify for Boston, which requires a 3:10:59. Boston 2010 is full, so I'm looking forward to a trip there in 2011 to cheer him on! No pressure . . .

He gets closer and closer every marathon he runs and I believe he has a very good shot. The course looks amazing and the temps should be perfect for him. Whatever his time I'm so proud of him. He is a true athlete and he motivates me everyday. Good luck, Marky!! I can't wait to celebrate another completed marathon when you get home. Kisses.

Cafe Maude

2009-04-11T22:49:00.002-05:00

A friend and I had brunch today at Cafe Maude (5411 Penn Avenue South in Minneapolis) to celebrate her birthday. I had a roasted cauliflower and Brussels sprouts omelet and she ordered the french toast with berries that came with a side of ginger ice cream. Our food was fantastic and the staff was perfectly attentive and genuinely friendly.

I'm surprised the place wasn't packed - maybe everyone is waiting for warmer weather to enjoy the sidewalk patio?

It's great that they accept the MPR membercard and offer a 15% discount without any restrictions on days, etc. I'll definitely return to Cafe Maude to try out the dinner menu soon.

What's in the Cupboard? Dinner in a Flash

2009-02-18T18:20:00.000-06:00

I'm trying to grocery shop as little as possible these days and just use what I already have in the house. I threw a couple chicken breasts in the fridge to thaw last night and wondered what to do with them today.

Over my lunch I finally decided to make a recipe I heard about on the radio about 5 or so years ago where you put chicken in a crock-pot with salsa. I trimmed the fat off the chicken, put it in the crock-pot, and added about 1/4 jar of Salsa Lisa.

I made long-grain rice and shredded the chicken on top of it. Delish and easy!

Tomorrow's dinner: Barley Veggie Soup (recipe on the barley box) & Homemade Wheat Bread

I Love Punch

2009-02-07T12:15:00.004-06:00

I haven't gone out to eat much lately. Just trying to cook a lot of good food at home. But when my dad said he had a doctor's appointment in St. Paul that would finish around lunchtime yesterday, I asked if he wanted to meet for lunch. I couldn't remember the last time I'd been to Punch in Highland Park, and had been craving it for months.

We split the balsamic salad and each got a pizza. This ensured leftovers - my usual strategy there. The place was packed and the service, as always, was fantastic.

Tonight I'm heading to Al Vento with my neighbor for dinner and can't wait to see what's on the menu this month. They're also running Tuesday night specials - 3-course dinners for $20.

Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day Success

2009-01-15T21:33:00.005-06:00

Our first loaf of bread was a definite success, made evident by the fact that we devoured the whole loaf in one meal. (Must get to the Y) It’s just as easy as the book says. Pull a chunk of the refrigerated dough out, fold it under, let it rise, and bake. We had it with Amy’s organic bean & pasta soup, which I added a cooked chicken breast to.

I’ll make our second loaf tonight along with a meal we created at Let’s Dish in Highland Park. We made 8 meals last Saturday and this will be the third we've tried. Our favorite so far is the gyros. Put a pork roast in the crock-pot, shred it, put it on pitas and add the yogurt sauce. That was a huge meal and fed us one night plus made several lunches for Mark. Tonight we’re having lemon parmesan chicken with green beans - and homemade bread, of course - before heading to the Highland Theater to see Gran Torino.

My First Loaf of Homemade Bread

2009-01-14T19:00:00.003-06:00

This week I finally began the process of making our own bread using “Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day” – My sister gave me the book a good 6+ months ago . . .

The wretched economy is definitely causing me to change how I spend my $. I utilize every coupon I can find. I saved $10.30 today at Super Target. Doing this every week does add up, especially with the rising cost of food. I’m not sure whether this is what prompted me to start baking bread, if it’s the wonderful breads my sister has made from the book, or if I’m just trying to stay warm this sub-zero winter by turning on the oven. It’s probably a combination of all of the above.

Whatever the reason, my house smells amazing! I mixed up the recipe on Monday. You can keep it in the fridge for up to 2 weeks and it makes 4 one-pound loaves. My only tip so far is to measure your flour into a separate bowl before adding it to the other ingredients in the KitchenAid. I may have lost count on the flour so I’m praying the bread will turn out.

To be continued . . .

Hugs & Kisses – Why My Peanut Blossoms Are Always Perfect

2009-01-13T18:22:00.012-06:00

Okay, I know you're thinking, "who does she think she is?" She's not a trained chef and every Christmas cookie baker makes Peanut Blossoms – who doesn’t love a cookie with a Hershey’s Kiss on top?

But mine always seem to turn out just right, always soft, never overly browned on the bottom. My sister the chef says I instinctively know the exact moment when they need to come out of the oven.

Below I’ve outlined my recipe, handed down for generations (okay, really only 2 generations) that I’ve accidentally perfected.

Have a different recipe you think would blow my recipe away?
Send it my way.

Peanut Blossoms

½ tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
½ c. sugar + extra for rolling before baking
½ c. packed brown sugar
½ c. vegetable shortening
½ c. natural creamy peanut butter (ingredient list should only contain peanuts & salt)
2 T. milk
1 Egg
1 tsp. vanilla (the real stuff) – I add an “overflowing” teaspoon of vanilla
1 ¾ c. flour – lightly spooned into measuring cup and leveled
Hershey’s Kisses and Hershey’s Hugs

I don’t sift. I don’t cream anything before adding the ingredients. I just throw it all into the KitchenAid mixer with the paddle attachment. I do usually add the flour at the end though, just a little at a time to avoid a mess.

Pour about ½ c. white sugar into a bowl. Pinch batter and roll it in your hands to form small balls.

Roll in the sugar to completely coat and put on baking sheet.

Bake @ 350 for approximately 7-10 minutes, watching carefully beginning right at 7 for the slightest hint of browning on top.

Once I see browning I take them out of the oven.

Immediately press unwrapped Kiss or Hug into the middle of each cookie. After cooling 2-3 minutes transfer to wire cooling racks.

I was a little overwhelmed at Target this year trying to find the Hugs. I searched several places throughout the store and had to go somewhere else. Hershey’s is going a little overboard on the variety of Kisses in my opinion - mint, caramel, a cherry inside? So unnecessary.

This year I went with milk chocolate, dark chocolate (these weren’t great), and the Hugs. Hugs always take home the blue ribbon at our house. The hugs don’t hold their shape quite as well, but they stay softer than the milk or dark chocolate. When they’re melty they’re especially delish.

XOXO
Happy baking!

Las Vegas Marathon Finishers!

2008-12-27T15:25:00.005-06:00

Mark overcame a knee injury during marathon training and finished the Las Vegas Marathon in 3:36. AMAZING!

I also finished, but he had to wait quite a while for me! He greeted me with a huge bear hug at the finish. Neither of us knew if I'd make it through this one as I acquired some injuries a few weeks before the marathon. My left IT band was hurting from mile 3 on but I somehow made it through. I met a very nice woman named Lynn and we finished the last 7 miles together. I thank God I met her as I didn't think I could finish alone. She was amazing! This was her 7th marathon and she'd just had surgery in August. Very tough and inspiring. It was great having our friends there with us this year to cheer us on and celebrate afterwards. Mark and I hobbled around Vegas the rest of the trip, but still had a great time.

The holidays have already passed us by and we're here in Iowa celebrating with Mark's family. We celebrated Christmas Eve at my sister's and Christmas Day at at our house. Probably one of the best meals I've made in years. Fresh ham and gravy, green bean casserole, sweet potato casserole, scalloped corn, and roasted cauliflower. Dessert was Christmas cookies and berries with creme anglaise. Our friend joined us for Christmas and we had a great time playing games, drinking wine, and watching movies.

I'm really looking forward to the New Year and planning our next races . . . pending a hopefully speedy recovery. I was finally able to run 2 miles pain-free today so I'm feeling optimistic that we may be able to plan a spring or early summer marathon.

A Truly Italian Dinner . . .

2008-09-16T20:31:00.004-05:00

I must admit I'm a bit jealous of my boss and her husband who are vacationing in Italy-my very favorite place to visit.

She writes, "I thought you’d like to know that this is the usual order for a truly Italian dinner. The surprising part is that the salad FOLLOWS the entrée!

1. Appetizers: Bruschetta and Beans and greens and onion
2. Soup dish (more like a stew actually)
3. Pasta dish
4. Pasta dish
5. Beef slices
6. Salad
7. Lemon dessert
8. Espresso

. . . don’t forget the wine!"

I asked her about her favorites so far.

"Tonight we had a fabulous lemon chiffon type pie that was served on top of a ¼ inch yellow cake base. Very light after a heavy meal of so many courses. The prosciutto seems to be different than in the U.S., much lighter. Every place in Florence charges a cover charge of 2-3 Euro per person, even for lunch. Seems strange to me because there is no music provided. I have yet to figure out what the cover charge is supposed to cover. The waiter tells us it has been this way for a very long time and every restaurant does this."

I can't wait to hear about the rest of their eating and sight-seeing adventures.

Dinner @ Ristorante Luci

2008-09-12T06:21:00.004-05:00

Hubby and I finally tried Ristorante Luci last night. We used to live about 5 minutes away (now we're only 10 minutes away) and drive by it all the time.

Turns out Thursday night was a great time to visit - they offered a Perzzo Fisso, a four course taster's dinner, that was fantastic and only $20/person if we both ordered it!

It started with a large scallop with a tomato/ red pepper puree, followed by a creamy mushroom soup for me and a nice cesare salad for the husband.

Next was a homemade pasta with a slice of pork (the only thing we weren't crazy about - pork was dry / pasta didn't have much flavor). The entree was salmon and risotto with aioli, and we added a tiramisu cheesecake for dessert.

A great bottle of wine + a fantastic server and great cozy ambiance - we'll definitely go back for more.

Online reservations for Ristorante Luci at Open Table.

Care Packages

2008-09-09T21:57:00.013-05:00

Opening the mail just isn't as fun as it once was . . . bills, credit card offers that fill my shredder, newspaper ads from stores I never visit.

I remember being at Iowa State and getting that little slip of paper in my mailbox every so often telling me to stop by and pick up a package-a much needed box from little Laurie.

My mom always knew just what I needed - unexpected little goodies:
Mac & Cheese, Rice Crispy Treats
Holiday decorations for Halloween, Christmas, Valentine's Day
Basically stocking stuffers for any occasion.

She even sent Mark care packages while he was in Rome for a semester.

At this time of year I always think a lot about college. Good times . . . but I'd never go back!

Most appreciated care package items for college students (or anyone):

Stamps
Quarters for Laundry
Recipes (family favorites) + some of the ingredients
Coffee or hot chocolate packets (& marshmallows)
Lined pads of paper with magnets to stick on the fridge
Chip clips
Post-it Notes & Tape Flags
Gum
Goldfish crackers
Monster cookies
A handwritten note
Microwave popcorn (Mark's making some right now)
Pictures from when you were a kid
New socks
Nail polish / nail file / toe separators
Chapstick or lip gloss
Deodorant
Favorite magazines
A basic cookbook
A mixed tape (okay dating myself - I mean, CD)
Multivitamins to avoid the flu
Throat lozenges for when they forget to take multivitamin
Granola bars
Peanuts
Wasabi peas

Love My New Cuisinart!

2008-08-25T20:03:00.009-05:00

My dad bought me a fancy Cuisinart Food Processor. Very exciting! Tonight I made the basil pesto recipe out of the manual to try something different and it's fantastic! I froze it in 4 containers to use later.

My second Cuisinart attempt was to grind the flax seed I accidentally bought whole. I normally buy Bob's Red Mill Organic Flaxseed Meal & mix it in with my yogurt, but must not have been paying attention at Target.

Failure on the grinding. It just wouldn't cut through the little guys.

I did a some reading online about ground vs. whole, but couldn't seem to find reliable sources to answer these questions:

What's the best way to grind flax seed?
Is ground flax better than whole? Or, Is there value in eating both versions?

Harvesting the Basil

2008-08-25T13:21:00.008-05:00

Subtle signs of Fall are all around this week . . .

The Minnesota State Fair is here already. It's a little bit darker each morning when I run before work and the morning temps are perfect. I can actually turn the A/C off and get a good night's sleep. The sedum and morning glories are blooming and my basil plants are enormous.

Every August I start frantically planning recipes that revolve around using my herbs-knowing that the convenience of having an herb garden will disappear sooner than I'd like with the first frost.

Today I'll start making basil pesto (basil, pine nuts, olive oil, Parmesan cheese, lots of garlic, water), to stock the freezer for the winter.

Saturday night we made grilled corn on the cob with chive butter, mushroom and cherry tomato kabobs with olive oil & basil, and Cooking Light's Rosemary Shrimp Scampi Skewers.

Yesterday I stopped at the St. Paul Farmers' Market and stocked up on eggplant, zucchini, squash, bread, and cilantro (if anyone found a mysterious bag of cilantro somewhere between St. Paul and Minneapolis, please enjoy).

Tonight I'll repeat the grilled corn on the cob with chive butter and use parsley, basil, & chives in a modified Pan Bagnat recipe:

1 Loaf New French Bakery Ciabatta bread
3 chopped tomatoes
1/2 c. shredded mozzarella
1/3 c. parsley
1/4. chopped chives
1/4 T. chopped basil
3 T. white wine vinegar
1 T. extra virgin olive oil
Ground pepper

Bake bread according to package and cool 5-10 minutes. Slice lengthwise.
Pull out the insides of the bread and tear into small pieces. Mix in a bowl with remaining ingredients. (Add more white wine vinegar, olive oil, tomatoes if desired or if your tomato garden is out of control). Stuff bread loaf with the mixture. Slice and serve immediately or wrap in Saran wrap and chill overnight.

Vegas in December Anyone?

2008-07-28T17:58:00.003-05:00

After a little over a month off (sort of) since Grandma's Marathon, we've reserved our flights, hotel, and registered online for the December 7 Las Vegas Marathon!

I'm actually looking forward to getting back into a regular training program. I've been running sporadically a few times per week since Grandma's and Mark's been running about once per week.

We did the Boston Scientific 10K on Saturday. It was a great race and we both set PR's for the distance (my time even included a sprint to the porta pottie at mile 4 - mental note: arrive earlier to next race to avoid bladder emergencies).

We're hoping to recruit some of our friends to come run with us or to cheer us on and celebrate afterwards. Hopefully they can make it! 20,000 runners - 250,000+ spectators - There couldn't possibly be anything this exciting happening in Minneapolis in early December.

Grandma's Marathon Finishers!

2008-06-23T21:49:00.019-05:00

We had a great, relaxing trip up to Two Harbors on Friday. We checked in at the Americinn and made our way back down to Duluth to the DECC to get our race info. We got rock star parking, got our packets, had our spaghetti dinner, and were back at the hotel by 8ish.

We watched Karate Kid and Caddy Shack (what better motivators??) and were sleeping soundly by 11. We got up (who knew it was light out at 4:30 am?) and had our bagels and went out to catch the bus to the starting line.

One very long porta pottie line and an orange Gu later and we found ourselves in our starting line spots - Mark in the 3:20 zone (cripes, he's fast), and I, realist that I am, parked myself in the 5:00 region. I'd been estimating a 4:30 - 5:00 finish time based on my long training runs and the RunnersWorld.com pace calculator.

Starting line
The weather at start time was fantastic - in the low 50's. I started out well and flew through the first 10K. Then all the advice from every marathon-finishing friend and our training book went rushing through my mind - if you have to go to the bathroom, go. Don't wait. Just go . . . 5 minutes in line later I finally got to go. I should have listened to myself rather than the fear running through my head. I could have waited. I was running slightly under a 10-minute mile at the time, which at my giant 5' stature I considered decent for my first marathon. Oh well, it was good to get the pit stop over with.

I felt fantastic. I was still doing quite well at the 10 mile mark . . . and then, just like my 20-mile training run, it starting happening again. The nausea. Every muscle in my legs felt perfect, not a hot spot on either foot, but that crazy nausea came back to haunt me again. One mile in I knew the temp was creeping up along with the humidity. For some reason the women in my family have this crazy thing with humidity - makes us feel anxious and rather ill.

I kept running but began downing, not sipping water at all the stops. I never saw anything indicating the temp was getting bad, but I felt it. I was trying to eat my shot blocks, but was only able to get about 5 down the entire race. I'd planned on eating 12-15 of those little buggers, but just couldn't.

Looking back, the bad miles are all mixed up in my head. My big savior was the water stops. The volunteers were amazing! Every one of them cheering us on. I never had to wait for water or Ultima and they had the best thing on earth - ice. Ice was my BFF that day. I found a great strategy of running with cups of ice, which quickly melted and kept me hydrated. It also helped me cool down the occasional warm water or Ultima. I cannot say enough about the volunteers and other runners - Minnesota nice at its finest.

After the half-marathon mark I found myself walking - a lot. I was a little disappointed, but knew I'd still finish. I saw people at the med tents with oxygen masks and knew I wouldn't end up there. I saw people cramping and asked if they needed anything, and when I was completely bent over (strangely the only position I felt comfortable in) I was amazed at how many people stopped to ask if I was okay. Just asking made me feel like I could start running again - hugging the left side of the road for any second of shade I could get.

My angelic drug dealer on the side of the road
I stopped @ a couple med tents to ask for Advil for what I thought may have been cramp cramps, but they were out. Then I randomly asked a spectator on the road with a rather large pack of supplies if she had Advil. She was so nice and even filled my cup with some of her water. I don't know if it was her Advil or taking off my running pack, but a few miles later I finally started feeling normal enough to run steadily again.

Somewhere around mile 19 I saw a spectator in the middle of the road and thought, "Really? Please move." Then I realized it was Al Franken. I gave a big smile and he patted me on the back. That was my second celeb spotting. I also saw Sven, the Kare 11 weather guy earlier on, walking the wrong direction along the course . . . weird.

I met a nice man at some point as I was completely bent over, during what I decided really needed to be my final moment of upside down deep yoga breathing. He asked if I was okay. "Yup I'm good. Just completely nauseous." We walked together for a while and he told me this was his 28th marathon and this was the longest he'd ever made his fan club (wife, some of his kids, and 5 grand kids) wait. It was so nice to talk to someone to distract myself from what was happening to my body.

He told me he normally finished marathons in 4:00 - 4:15. "Okay, so it's not just me having a bad day," I thought. Other people are struggling. He told me he thought he'd just walk the rest of the marathon, but eventually I asked if he wanted to run a little while together. He initially said, "No, you just go ahead," but then hesitated and said, "yeah, why not?" We ran together for about a mile until he spotted some of his family. It was so great to have someone to push on with. He was so positive and really helped me forget about my pain. Maybe I even helped him a little bit.

My last 10K was pretty good. Stomach seemed better, legs still felt good, and the sidelines started to fill in with more spectators to focus on. I so wished I felt well enough to high-five them for the beer they were handing out, but I just couldn't do it. One proud moment was lemon drop hill. Doesn't look like much of a hill when you drive it, but at mile 22 it certainly feels large. I was the only person running it at the time. All that River Road training paid off at that moment.

I skipped the 25-mile water stop and made my way toward the finish. Luckily my friend warned me that you think you're near the finish line because you can see it, but you're not really there.

I was so excited to see my friends holding the sign they made! I really needed to see them at that point. I still can't believe they took the time out of their weekend to come to the race. They are incredible!

My feet were on fire because it was so blazing hot out. I got a half-mile or so further and finally saw the actual finish line, heard my husband calling out to me, crossed the finish line, and saw my sister cheering for me. I went over to the fence and was so relieved I was done. I muttered, "I have to go" and stumbled over to the very cheery person who put my medal over my head.

I gathered a bag of chips (I think I lost a pound of sodium on my face alone) and some juice and found a curb to park myself on. Mark found his way over to me and we went over our experiences together. It wasn't just me having a hard time! He also had trouble due to the heat/ humidity.

As we went to get up and meet our family / friends, I said, "Man, I need a shower." It instantly started a 5-minute downpour, which felt fantastic.

My dad took us all to lunch and then he and my sister took us back up to Two Harbors. We cleaned up and were hungry once again.

Chef Beth highly recommended The Scenic Cafe, so we thought we'd give it a try. We didn't have reservations so we sat outside in the sun in their beautiful garden. We had a great shrimp appetizer and a couple drinks. Dinner was amazing and so worth the wait. Mark had hanger steak with potatoes and shaved radishes and greens. I had Alaskan salmon with ravioli. The dessert was a lemon cake terrine with raspberries It was a perfect evening. Rather than venturing back down to Duluth for the concerts, we went back to our hotel and were out before 11.

Midway through the marathon I didn't think I'd ever want to do another marathon. Then I finished, oh so slow time and all, and I immediately knew this wouldn't be my last. I'd learned so much. What worked, what sooo did not work. It took Mark a couple days, but 2 drinks in to tonight's dinner at Al Vento he announced he felt the same and knew he could do better. Vegas here we come.

What I would do again . . .
Follow the Penguin. Marathoning for Mortals was so easy to follow. The full training program was laid out for us and wasn't intimidating.
Train with someone. Even though we did our runs separately, it was amazing to do this with Mark. He is such a true athlete and I admire how well he did throughout the entire experience. I'm his biggest fan and he is mine.
Enjoy the training experience. I never knew what I was capable of. I'm so much stronger mentally and physically than I thought I could be.
Do yoga at Inner Strength. Tuesday night yoga has greatly improved my strength and flexibility and keeps me peaceful and grounded.

What I would tweak . . .
Pick a marathon where there are spectators along the entire route. Sans iPod (this marathon doesn't allow them) it got very lonely out there. There weren't many points where spectators could catch you along the route.
Use real food and more of the energy drink. Our friend ran San Diego and she used the energy drink and nibbled a Cliff bar throughout.
Choose a cooler marathon. I know myself. I like it cool. I had great training runs, but June gets really warm!
Try to convince a friend to run with me. Time flies by so quickly when I run with friends. I only have 2 I've gone running with, but those are some of the most enjoyable runs I've ever had.
Bring more friends. A lot of people didn't carry fuel belts because they had spectators planted to hand them Gu's / drinks.
Wait until everyone is lined up to use the porta's. Our friend who ran San Diego looked and noticed no one was in line anymore as everyone got into their expected finish time spots. Your clock doesn't start until you cross the starting line to she darted for the empty porta potties and then hopped back over the fence to start. Great strategy!

She and her boyfriend had us over last night to sit in their hot tub. I felt so much better after that. Neither of us had any chaffing or blisters, but I have a couple toe nails that I'm worried about. I feel pretty lucky that that is the only injury to report between us.

Today we picked up Mark's new car, I chopped off a lot of my hair, and we had a fantastic, relaxing time at Al Vento.

2 Weeks Till Grandma's

2008-06-08T16:30:00.005-05:00

Just 2 more weeks of tapering to go. I had a really good 10-mile long-run along the river and the creek. A friend joined me for part of it and that made the run fly by. I felt great despite the humidity.

My 20-miler last week, however, was not so pleasant. The first humid run of the season did not treat me well. The water belt was bugging me from the start as was an odd case of nausea. It took an embarrassing number of hours to finish, but I'm glad I didn't skip the last lap around Nokomis as I so desperately wanted to. It was a very off day, but I am still feeling confident about the marathon.

It's amazing how many little details we're thinking about like where do you put all of your Gus and shot blocks? Which water stops do we stop at? Do we carry our own water so we can keep running if we don't feel like stopping at the water stops? Where the heck will our family find us? How long after Mark finishes will I finally make my way to the finish? How can I possibly stand the sound of my own breathing for 4+ hours sans iPod??

It's all coming to a close now. I'm excited, scared, a little sad, and a little happy. Our friend just completed the San Diego Marathon and we got to hear all about it over dinner yesterday. It definitely got us pumped up for the rush of the whole experience and the motivation of the huge crowd of runners and spectators.

I've loved the whole experience of the training program and have really made some major lifestyle changes to fit it all in. I like having a schedule laid all out for me and working everything else around that. I love how I feel and that all the major aches and pains I had at the start have gone away. I wonder if this will be our one and only marathon or if we'll want to do others.

Time will tell. Just 2 more weeks of obsessing about the little things. Just 2 more weeks until we see what we're really made of.

Eating On The Run - Need Carb Advice

2008-05-08T13:13:00.008-05:00

We did our 16-mile training run on Saturday. Holy wind. I was cursing mother nature, especially around 14.5 miles when the backs of my legs started screaming at me. I drank a lot of water & Ultima Replenisher, but it wasn't nearly enough. I checked the label when I got home, "Cripes! There are only 3 g carbs per serving!"

So, I'm looking for some advice on what to eat during the rest of my very long, long runs and during Grandma's Marathon.

I'd like something, preferably not in GU form (it's a texture thing), that won't upset the stomach. Someone at Yoga suggested Clif Shot Blocks, which I'm open to. Gummy, fruity - what could be better? But I'm confused on which one to try - caffeinated or decaf. Who knew there were so many options?

GUs, performance drinks, chewy things, jelly beans - I'm officially overwhelmed.

Springy Sunday Brunch

2008-04-30T18:14:00.008-05:00

My friend is finishing up her first year of law school and is in the midst of finals. I'm having her over for Sunday brunch to give her a break from studying and to feed her some fresh Springy food.

What's on tap?
Well, probably not alcohol for her, but I suppose I could have meself a mimosa . . .

Scrambled Eggs with Chives from my garden

Rosemary Potatoes with rosemary from my garden that I froze last year

Spinach Salad with Strawberries & Blue Cheese

English Muffins with Orange Marmalade
Unless Sister Beth is willing to hand over her fabulous whole wheat and honey bread recipe she made for us on Sunday with her amazing Lamb dinner - Note to Beth: Why aren't you blogging about that dinner? It was amazing!

I just tried calling her on my new Bluetooth thingy, which I'm embarassed to say I had to have hubby physically put on my ear because I cannot seem to follow the visual instructions that came with it. Cripes.

NOVA Marathon Challenge

2008-04-28T13:23:00.005-05:00

Recently my dad told me about a documentary he saw on PBS about non-runners training for a marathon. It's called the NOVA Marathon Challenge & you can watch it online here: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/marathon/program.html

Get in Gear 2008 Results

2008-04-28T13:11:00.005-05:00

The Get in Gear was a very fun, yet blustery race this year. The results are in, photos are coming soon - Hubby and I both clocked our best times ever despite having to wear 13 layers to stay warm. He ran a 7:14 and I ran a 9:02, which for me is incredibly fast. We added some distance to our run by sprinting to the car to get out of the wind after the race.

I'm heading out now for my lunchtime 60-minute training run. Are we skipping Spring this year? I hope the sun comes back very soon.