Like a Drunken Eskimo...

...was how I was described by the woman "running" behind me single file on this past weekend's mid-winter Bataan Death March. Thanks, lady.

I was on this ridiculous adventure because my New Year's resolution this year is to run a 5K every month. I figure it'll keep my occupied/in quasi decent shape (providing I actually do some training), and will give me a chance to increase my collection of performance t-shirts.

Last Saturday marked the January race--the Fantastic Frigid 5K, squeeking in on January 31st. It was definitely frigid, but fantastic may be a bit of a stretch.

The course was basically a 3.1 mile run through 6-12" of snow, with a layer of crusty ice on top. My goal, aside from not getting frostbite (it was 8 degrees), was to finish without tripping and falling into said snow. Which, for the record, I accomplished. It did however, take me just under 59:00 (by far the worst time I've ever run a 5K!!!!), since I spent large chunks of time trudging through ankle to mid-calf deep snow. In running shoes. That collected little snowballs in them by the time I was finished. Good times...anyone know a good February race?

This pic was taken at one of the spots where the snow was tamped down into a sort of trail--and somewhere near the middle of mile 1, before I really began questioning my sanity.



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Strawberry Basil Shrub (aka, the Drinking Vinegar Craze)

Image
Drinking vinegars, or shrubs, are all the rage these days. Shrubs are fruit infused vingegars sweetened with sugar, and they are delicious mixed with some soda water or any given liquor. Shrubs have been around on the fancy-cocktail circuit for a while (I had a shrub cocktail at Nopa in San Franciso in 2009, and they're making a splash at Andy Ricker's Thai street food mecca  Pok Pok in Portland, Oregon.  His "Pok Pok Som Drinking Vinegars" are so popular that he's producing them for sale outside of his restaurant, and they're now available at Weiland's in Clintonville.  On the local blog scene, last week the lovely Rachel Tayse chronicled her creation of a rhubarb shrub on her blog Hounds in the Kitchen .  You should check it out. Over at the Ham Sandwich HQ, I had a dozen pounds of strawberries, courtesy of a seriously focused hour of picking at Schacht Family Farms last Saturday.   My freezer is not big enough for twelve pounds of frozen str...
Read more

Buffalo on the Ceiling, Pancakes on the Floor

Image
And now...FINALLY....the first in series focusing on some of the wonderful (and slightly different) food experiences I had while travelling in Nepal. Nepal has a rich culinary identity, shaped by its proximity to India and Tibet, a temperate climate, and fertile soil in the Kathmandu Valley. While it shares some similarities to other South Asian cultures (rice as a staple, liberal use of curry), it nonetheless has dishes that are unique to the region. There is also a subset of Nepali culture in the Kathmandu Valley, the Newars. The Newars are the indigenous people of the Valley, and have their own language (Newari) as well a culinary tradition distinct from Nepal as a whole. My friend, tour guide, translator, and all around awesome host for my trip, KLB, had heard that there was a "secret" local restaurant near her house, and it served authentic, real-deal Newar food. While on one of our shopping excursions, she asked around and we discovered that it was just around the c...
Read more

Vice Presidential Debate Drinking Game

Image
I know everyone else is doing it, but here's another set of rules for tomorrow's VP debate. You can thank me on Friday morning, when you can't remember any of the drivel that was spouted the night before. Also, it looks like we'll be playing at Barley's on High St.---come on down and join! The Vice Presidential Debate Drinking Game (brought to you by Cliff, Ethan, myself, and of course, the internet): Take a drink if : Palin touches her glasses and/or becomes more “adorable” Palin says “hockey mom,” “Russia,” “9/11,” or “maverick” Palin just rephrases the question she’s asked in an attempt to make it an answer. (Two if she uses the moderator’s name repeatedly) Biden mentions taking the train to work or questions Palin’s experience. Biden makes a historically inaccurate reference. Biden makes a condescending reference or gives a condescending look. Either of the candidates says anything folksy. Two drinks if it's the actual word "folks." Either of the...
Read more