Midwestern Beer and Beer Geek's Birthday

First off, happy birthday to Beer Geek! Hope you're enjoying your special day.

Since today is "Beer Tuesday" and Beer Geek's birthday, it seems appropriate to discuss all the yummy beer we've consumed during this trip to Wisconsin and Minnesota. On our way to St.Paul for my race, we stopped in Menomonie, WI at Das Bierhaus. 

As one might guess, this brewpub featured the German style of brewing, as well as yummy German food. It was a small mom and pop restaurant with really good German beers. Definitely worth the stop!

Next up was a stop at Great Waters Brewing in St. Paul.

 They had a particularly extensive cask conditioned beer list. Cask beers are conditioned in the "cask", where they develop a lesser CO2 carbonation. They taste "flatter" than keg beers and are served at a warmer temperature. The first time I had a cask conditioned beer, I was not impressed, but I have developed a liking for it over time. I had two different ones at Great Waters (Old Centurian and GW House ale) and they were both excellent. After our stop at Great Waters, we stopped at Candyland, which was an old fashioned candy store and bought way too much chocolate and candy. (And I wonder why my race sucked on Saturday, LOL).

After the race on Saturday, we headed down the Great River Road to La Crosse and the Pearl Street Brewery. Again, we found some really good beers. We weren't able to get a tour of the brewery (but really, we've been to so many, I bet Jones could GIVE a tour), but we did get to taste whatever we wanted. 

We, of course, tried them all, which is why I don't exactly remember what I had. ;o) We did have a full pint of Mamma's Milk, which was an excellent milk stout. I could have sat and drunk that all night, but the boys decided they'd had enough hanging out in breweries and it was time to hit the pool. Mamma's Milk wasn't available in bottles, so we left with a six pack of "That's What I'm Talkin' 'Bout" organic rolled oat stout. I didn't try that one until a couple of days later, but it was awesome (after I let it warm up a bit).

On Sunday, we headed south again to hit a few important things: a ferry ride, Beer Geek's 1000th county, some Indian Mounds, and another brewpub (does his nickname make sense yet? LOL). 

Unfortunately, during that day's adventure, I opened the passenger's window on the van. I had forgotten that the motor was screwed up and the window would not go back up. I got to spend the remainder of the day with the "wind blown" look and my parents ended up driving 2.5 hours each way to bring us their Prius and take the van back to their garage, where, of course, the window went back up. Sigh.

 We did manage to hit Old Man River Brewpub for dinner, where the food and beer was good, but the restaurant was WAY overwhelmed. We waited almost an hour for our food (nothing elaborate, just burgers) with really hungry, cranky kids, so my memory of the beers is a bit tainted by my not so enjoyable time.

Today, to celebrate Beer Geek's birthday, he and I went to Ale Asylum for lunch. They had five beers on tap and they were all quite good. They were not particularly adventurous beers, but rather just really good examples of the styles. I ended up having a pint of their porter and really enjoyed it (along with an excellent pizza with four different types of mushroom and so much garlic that I'm sure I'll smell it when I run tomorrow.)

So, we managed to hit four brewpubs and one brewery in about four days. This is not a record for us (we hit way more when we visited Oregon and Washington for a week back in the pre-kids days), but it was quite an enjoyable adventure. Thankfully, most places offer samplers of their beers, so we could taste them all and stay sober. ;o)

And a quick running note since this is a running blog: today dad and I ran an awesome four miles. The weather is cool, dry, and windy, so we planned for a speedy run and succeeded - 8:45, 8:20, 8:27, 8:09. Mom keeps telling me not to kill my dad, but he was pushing me the whole way and I was the one out of steam at the end. Now if only we could have a run like that at an actual race...

State #6 - another crappy race

Almost quite literally.

We got to MN and picked up our packets (Dad and I did the 10k, my mom RAN her first 5K) and then hit a brewpub for dinner. The food and beer at Great Waters Brewery were quite good and then we hit Candyland for a serious chocolate fix.

We all went to bed early and I actually slept pretty good for pre-race. Saturday morning I got up and it was warm, but rainy. I ate one of my mom's super cookies for breakfast. It was yummy, but I will never eat one before a race again. It cleared my system like one of those Fiber One granola bars. Ugh. I guess it just had too much fiber for me to handle on race day.

We all headed to the race and were there in plenty of time. It was chip timed, but there was no mat at the beginning. Wish I'd known that as we lined up pretty far back in the pack. The course was nice, but after about the first half mile, my cookie started talking to me. Also, it was really humid and I could not get my breathing to settle down. I felt like I was panting for almost the entire 6 miles. So, while it was a decent enough course and I enjoyed running with my dad, I felt like I spent the entire 10K alternating between thinking about finding a portapotty and trying to catch my breath, even though we didn't run it that fast. Our official time was just under 58 minutes, but that was the clock time. Garmin said we ran it in 56:45.

Mom did a great job on the 5k and ran the whole way and finished under 40 minutes!!! WTG MOM!

Add Minnesota to the finished list. Maine and Illinois are coming up in August. Tomorrow I'll share some pictures and stories from our mini-vacation.

A little Dragon's Milk for what ails ya

Yesterday was a really long day.  We drove to Madison so that I could test drive a Rav4 (Love!) and my parents could get their van serviced.  Then we hit Kohls for a huge shopping spree and finally Woodman's, where I scored some New Holland Dragon's Milk and a to be revealed later beer for Beer Geek for his birthday.  Then we drove an hour back to my parents' house, where the kids were hanging out with a babysitter.

The kids hit the pool, where Shoo did his best to drown himself.  Possessing no fear when you can't actually swim is not really a good thing.  Then we jumped in the car and drove an hour in the other direction to pick up Beer Geek at the Milwaukee Airport.  On the way home, we stopped at the Delafield Brewhaus for some yummy food and good beer.

Today, Dad and I hit the road at 8am for a very hot, humid four mile run.  We averaged 9:25, which was great considering how crappy I felt while doing it.   I was told that my massage would affect my running for a few days and it certainly did.  Then I took Shoo to the dentist to check a filling that looked like it was falling out (it's not) and shut a car door on Jones' hand (he's ok).  

So, yeah, it's been a crazy couple of days.  How better to recover than to drink one of my favorite beers?  New Holland Brewery is in Michigan, so I was able to pick up a couple.  I enjoyed this beer so much at Savor that it's the only beer I got multiple times (and I had it four times!)  It's not a quaffing beer, but rather something you'd sip.  It's aged in oak barrels and you can definitely taste that in the beer.  And, like many of the darker beers I enjoy, it tastes even better as it warms up.  I may have to pick up a few this week to try cellaring them for a few years at my parents house.

Tomorrow we are off to MN for our race.  Right now, the forecast is calling for thunderstorms.  As long as there's no lightning, I'll be happier with that than the nasty heat and humidity we've been experiencing!

Baby, it's hot outside!

One of the reasons that I come to Wisconsin in June is that it's generally cooler here than in Virginia. This week would be the exception to that. Got to love a day where the actual temp is 95+ and it feels like 105. Fun.

Thankfully, my parents have a pool and it actually has warmed up quickly, so the boys went swimming this afternoon and this evening. Heck, I even braved it this afternoon and I am not a cold water person. Last summer during marathon training, I used their pool as my ice bath. Today, it was actually endurable. ;o)

I got a nice 4 mile run in on the treadmill this morning. That makes 22 miles in four days and my legs actually feel great. Usually by day four of running, I'm really struggling. After the run I got a haircut and then a massage. Tomorrow, I get to test drive a Toyota Rav4, pick up Beer Geek at the airport, and have dinner at a brewpub. It's all good.

The big Four O

No, it's not my fortieth birthday yet (just over a year to go). Yesterday was my parent's 40th Wedding Anniversary! My mom even put on her wedding dress. Doesn't she look awesome?!?

We've been having a great time hanging out at my parents' house. Here's Jones in his "toad hunting" outfit. So far, we've had Toady, Toady2 and Toady3. Two bunnies have been successfully relocated as well.
Yesterday we also set up the pool for the season. Jones and Shoo had a great time "helping".
When we were in Racine, the boys also got a chance to go in a splash fountain. They got completely soaked and ended up having to walk back to the hotel in the shirts we got from the race. Here's Shoo having fun.
And a very soaked Jones.
On the running front, I ran an easy 2 mile recovery run yesterday. I could tell my problem on Saturday was definitely not my legs, as they felt great on my 2 miler. Today dad and I ran a hot, humid 6 mile run in about 56 minutes. There was one REALLY long slow incline that sucked, but otherwise it was a pretty good run. I felt much better during this run than I did at any point on the race on Saturday. I plan to run two easy 4 mile runs yet this week and then we have the 10K race this coming Saturday.

State #5 - running in hell

At the hotel before the race

Today dawned warm and humid in Wisconsin and just kept getting more so. Dad and I walked over to the race start at about 7:30 am. Neither of us had gotten a great night's sleep and we'd been up for a while. With the heat and the sun, it felt more like we were starting the run at mid-day. Not what I'd call a good sign.

Mile 1 was ok, with a fair amount of downhill, but by mile 2, I was already feeling the heat. The course turned out to be a bunch of long slow inclines (which I HATE) and not a whole lot of shade for big chunks of it. There were plenty of water stops and locals with hoses and sprinklers, but I should have taken my fuel belt with gatorade. Dad kept me on pace and we managed to finish the first five miles at our goal speed of 9:30/mile.

That's when the wheels started to fall off the wagon. I don't deal well with drinking too much plain water when I'm hot. I took a gu at mile 5 and it helped a little, but I started to feel sick to my stomach. I was pretty convinced at the end of mile 7 that I was going to need to throw up. We ended up walking two big chunks in mile 8. Finally, by the beginning of mile 9, I had pulled it together. My dad was doing better than me and kept me moving (remember that mental strenght I mentioned. Yeah, he definitely had it today when I was falling apart).

As we approached the finish line (after two wicked uphill sections), a woman started to pass me. She and I had hopscotched the entire race. No way was I going to let her finish first, so I put everything I had into the last .1 mile and sprinted to the finish. Dad was caught a bit off guard, but quickly picked up his pace and stuck with me. We chicked and old guyed a fair number of people in that last bit as no one was really racing in. Our final time was 1:39 and change (beat the girl by 2 seconds) and I came in ahead of my dad only because it wasn't chip timed and he pushed me ahead of him as we went down the finisher's shoot.

On the final straight away (we are in the middle, on either side of the guy in the white shirt)

Running full out, refusing to let the chick on my left (on the right in the picture) finish ahead of me.

The race was well run, with plenty of water, but I'd have happily paid more for gatorade at the stops. Usually this race is chilly, so I was quite impressed that only one of the 8+ water stops ran out of water. Unfortunately, the only sighting we had of the lighthouse was around mile 2, rather than when were actually fairly close to it at mile 5. Overall, despite feeling like I was running in hell and breathing water, I had a good time doing this race with my dad.

Wisconsin = DONE!

Run for the beer

We are safe and sound in Wisconsin. Despite some issues at check in and a slightly delayed flight, we made it here with no major problems.

The adventures have already begun! This morning, the boys found a rabbit in the cage in my mom's garden. Grandma told them she was going to, ahem, take it out to the country and release it. The boys called her on it and they headed out and released the luckiest rabbit in Wisconsin. I think there's gonna be a line of bunnies this week, trying to exit the neighborhood during the amnesty LOL. Then they found a toad in the garden, who is now residing in the old aquarium. He'll be released this evening, but I'm sure they'll find another tomorrow.

Dad and I got in a nice four mile run, at a slightly faster than planned pace. We were aiming for about 9:40 and did closer to 9:20, despite some wicked long hills. Saturday is our 10 mile Lighthouse run.

I got an email from Beer Geek this morning about a race that he wanted me to do. Apparently Dogfish Head Brewery sponsors a race. Idiot that I am, I signed up for the 10K instead of the 5K. Duh, there's beer at the end, why would I want to run for a longer distance? Hopefully I can switch LOL.

(The only bugs harmed in this post were those that are being fed to the toad.)

There was an old lady who swallowed a fly

OK, so I'm not really old (haven't reached masters status quite yet) and it was a gnat, but really it was not a great way to start my run.  About a quarter of a mile in, I inhaled a gnat.  Now, I have a very sensitive gag reflex.  I can start gagging just by thinking about having something in my throat.  So, I'm running along, gagging on the stupid gnat, trying to cough it up or swallow it or something.  Meanwhile, this is engaging the same muscles that get seriously stretched when you have kids and I've had two of them.   So, I spent the first mile of my run trying not to throw up from the bug or pee myself (and still managed to run a 9:24 pace).  Ahh, dignity.

Thankfully, as I approached the beginning of mile 2, the bug went away.  I figured I'd better head home or I was gonna be in trouble, but then I realized Jones' school was open.  I ducked in there and took care of the other problem.  The next three miles involved hills and fartleks, but went by quickly.  (9:13, 8:32, 9:02)  All in all, it was a decent run after the first mile.

We leave tomorrow evening for my parents house.  I'm looking forward to it.  It'll be nice to chill with the boys and just relax.  I also get to run two races with my dad and finally meet to online friends that I "met" when I was pregnant with Jones.  They aren't RBFs, but they are running mommies, so they are each running one of the races I'm doing.  Cool, huh?

Don't worry, my parents have high speed internet, so you'll hear from me.  ;o)  

A stolen moment of quiet

Tonight was supposed to be kind of crazy.  Jones has his last soccer game at 5:15 pm, which does not work for our evening schedule.  We figured we'd pick up fast food on the way home, eat quickly, and then begin the bath/tv/bed routine.   Instead, I'm at home waiting for AAA (dead battery in our 1995 Jeep), while Beer Geek takes the boys to the game.  I'm taking a moment to post, then I'll actually make a real dinner and have it on the table when they arrive home.  

 

I ran a nice 4 mile run today with negative splits.  It was warm, but not as humid as it's been and there was a nice breeze blowing.  I went out easy with a 9:15 mile and aimed for each subsequent mile to get a bit faster.  I sort of succeeded (9:13, 8:54, 8:55), but for some reason I always seem to hit mile 3 a bit fast.  Guess I'm all nice and warmed up, but not tired yet.  My breathing was great, but my legs felt heavy.

I'm a bit frustrated with myself right now.  My weight has been slowly creeping up and I feel like it's starting to impact my running.  It's not a huge amount (I'm about 5 pounds up from my "comfortable" weight, about 10 from my "all my clothes fit well" weight), but I'm short and all of the weight seems to go to my lower half.   The problem is that I've really not stopped eating like I did last year while I was training for the marathon.   Actually, let me rephrase that, I'm eating at least as much and I'm not making healthy choices.   I'm not sure why, as I love vegetables and fruits.  Instead, I'm eating crackers and bread and other empty calories.  

The boys and I leave Wednesday for my parents' house.  My mom has an awesome garden and buys tons of fruit and other healthy stuff, so I'm going to try to focus on eating healthy as much as possible (I'll worry about portion size later if I need to).  I really think I need to get these pounds off if I want to see real improvement in my running.   I definitely want them off before I start training for the as yet to be determined second marathon.

Off to make myself a big salad to go with whatever I can find to make for dinner.

My hood and some random stuff

Beer Geek finally got home last night, but his luggage did not.  The airline called and said they'd deliver it that night, so I hung out until midnight and then gave up and headed to bed.  At 5 am, we woke up to my cell phone ringing.  The bag was delivered five minutes later (we think the driver had been delivering bags all night).  Thankfully, the boys let me sleep until after 8, so I'm not quite as exhausted as yesterday.

I've been doing some more marathon contemplation.  I don't think I'll be doing the New Orleans one as the weekend just doesn't work for us.  I'm kind of considering the Knoxville Marathon, but we'd combine that with a trip, which would mean traveling on Easter.   Beer Geek's dad has a big family get together on Easter and we missed it this year, so we don't really want to miss it next year.  Back to the drawing board I guess.

The video below has been making the rounds around here.  I can (and do) walk to most of the areas pictured.  Now you know where I run (and yes, the hills in Rosslyn are horrible and so is Ballston Mall LOL).

10 miles of hell and the next marathon

OK, maybe it was just purgatory.  Last night I hit the treadmill at 8:30pm for a 10 mile run.  I watched "27 Dresses" while I ran.  I purposely ran it slow so I could actually watch the movie, so I ended up averaging a 10:30 pace.  After I got done, I could not settle down.  It was midnight before I could even try to sleep and sometime after 1 when I finally dozed off, only to be woken by Shoo.  I think running after the kids go to bed will only be a last resort in the future.  Since I was already tired from staying up too late while Beer Geek's out of town, I'm barely coherent today.  The last time I was this tired, a newborn was involved.

I had dinner this week with the woman who got me hooked on racing.  She's the mom of one of Jones' closest friends.  She runs 2-3 marathons every year, including Boston every year.  A few years ago she talked me into racing my first race and even drove me to and from the event.  Anyways, we discussed her running schedule and how she manages to train on only four days of running a week.  She helped me figure out how to work in what I need to do to train for another marathon while Shoo is in preschool.

Which leaves me to figure out what marathon to do next spring.  I'd love to do one that coincides with spring break so we can make it a family vacation.  One that I'd really like to do is the Yakima River Canyon Marathon.  Unfortunately, it's on the Saturday at the beginning of the break and it would be difficult to get there from the east coast without having the kids miss a couple of days of school.

Another one that interests me is the Rock N Roll Mardi Gras Marathon.  Unfortunately, it's after the actual Mardi Gras.  While I don't need to be in New Orleans on Mardi Gras (been there, done that, got the beads that prove, um, that I can jump really high, um, yeah), Beer Geek's mom and three sisters all live near there, so I'd love to do some of the parades and celebrations that take place just outside of New Orleans.

OK, must take my tired self for another round of caffeine before I fall asleep on the couch and Shoo decides to tear the house down...

TIART: Salute to Running Dads

Today's theme over at the Runners' Lounge is a salute to running dads.  Since my dad is my favorite running partner, this should be an easy post to write.  

I'm incredibly lucky.*   My dad is one of my closest friends.  I'm sure there was a time when I didn't like him (high school?), but overall, he's been someone I can go to about pretty much anything.  I may not always follow his advice, but I always listen.  This has been a hard year amongst my friends as several have lost parents or dealt with parental health issues.  It's really made me appreciate that not only do I have a healthy dad, but I have one who can still outrun me.

For as long as I can remember, my dad has been a runner.   I did not run much, but I do remember running with him a few times in high school.   Most of the time, though, I wasn't willing to pick my (chubby) butt off of the couch.

As I've gotten older, though, running has become THE thing we do together.  For a long time, we'd just go out for a run at an easy pace for 2-3 miles.  I'd ask for advice about whatever my problem was and we'd chat.  It was a great way to have some time with my dad and work out some issues in my life.  We'd figure out financial stuff, plan how to build the kids' tree house, discuss his retirement (or not) plans...

In the last couple of years, our running relationship has changed.  I started running races and began to train for the marathon.  My dad was one of my biggest supporters and helped keep me company for parts of my training runs.  He also raced a couple of races with me.  Now we have a competition to see who can race all 50 states first, but with a goal of running as many together as possible.  

One thing I've learned about my father is that he is way tougher than me.  I don't mean physically.  He's in amazing shape for a 60 year old and can definitely keep up with (or sometimes flat out beat) me.  But beyond that, he has a mental toughness that I have yet to achieve.  He always seem to be able to dig deeper, no matter how hard we've run.  We always race together when we race, but when we get to the finish line, he's always able to find that little bit more and push me just that little bit extra.  I can only hope to someday be that strong.

Thanks, Dad, for being the best running partner (and dad) a girl could ask for!

*I'm one of the luckiest people around because both of my parents rock.  As I get older, I realize just how amazing it is that I have such a good relationship with them both and that they still have a wonderful relationship with each other.   I can only hope that someday my kids think I'm as awesome as I think my parents are.

I prefer cold and wet (and I'm not referring to beer)

Today, my only chance to run was at noon when Shoo's babysitter came over.  I had wanted to do 10 miles today, but it was 85 degrees, really humid, and sunny.  For once, I ran smart and ran slow and easy, averaging 10 minute miles, but it was just so incredibly hot out that I only managed 6 miles.  Conveniently, I finished the 6 miles near a 7-11, so I picked up a 32 ounce Gatorade (I'd finished both my water bottles, although much of that went on my head).  I drank the entire 32 ounces in the time it took me to walk the half mile to my house!  And to think I paid a ridiculous amount per hour to the babysitter to have the privilege of running in that heat.  Sigh.

I'm going to try and do a 10 miler on the treadmill on Thursday night after the kids go to bed.  I'm picking up "27 Dresses" from the library, so hopefully that will entertain me enough.  The weather here is just too iffy right now - either hot and humid or thunder and lightning, neither of which is fun for 10 miles, although I'd prefer wet at this point.

For this week's Alcohol Tuesday, I had lots to choose from (what can I say, Beer Geek is out of town and I'm attempting to maintain my sanity.)  I've decided to review a beer that I was very excited to find in the store, Tommyknocker Maple Nut Brown.

This beer has won many awards over the years, including a number of Bronze medals at the Great American Beer Festival.  I'm a huge fan of nut brown beers and the addition of maple nearly made me swoon when thinking about drinking this beer.  (I LOVE maple syrup and maple candy and well, anything maple, yum!)

So, I was quite excited when I opened this beer and caught a whiff of it's slightly maple scent.  I took a nice swig and it was ... eh.   It was sweet, but not much maple flavor was apparent.  I also found it a bit thin.  Since I drank it straight from the bottle (what can I say?  I have enough dirty dishes in my life), I can't speak about its color or its head.    I found the darker, nuttier malt taste good, but it had a bit of an aftertaste that I didn't like.

However, and this is a big however, I was forced to temporarily abandon my beer while I put Shoo to bed.  Half a beer sat forlornly on the computer desk and awaited my return, slowly coming up to about 60 degrees.  I'm not one to leave a beer undrunk, so I continued drinking once the kid was in bed.  Surprisingly, it was a much better beer at closer to room temperature.  The maple came out, the mouth feel got a bit heavier (more like what I'd expect from a porter) and the aftertaste went away.

So, if you like a nice dark beer, especially if you like a bit of sweetness, this is a pretty decent beer IF you let it warm up a bit.  I'll certainly be finishing my six pack!

Will I ever learn?

The plan today was a 5 miler at a steady 9 minute pace.  I decided to leave my neighborhood and run and out and back.  Mile 1 was perfect at exactly 9:00.  (Gotta love garmin).  Mile 2 had a lot of uphills, but I managed 9:04.  Mile 3 I screwed up.  I ran it in 8:40.  Which, of course, meant that not only did mile 4 go slower (9:17), but that I was D.O.N.E. Done.  It was hot and humid and the route I chose didn't have a lot of shade.

What I (hope I) learned today - 1) respect the heat AND the sun, 2) stop worrying about "banking time" and do the run I plan to do, and 3) if I have to run when the sun is still high in the sky, stay in my neighborhood (where there are lots of 100+ year old oaks creating shade).

I have this annoying inability not to try to do more than I plan.  I knew I wanted to do a steady run, yet I pushed myself on mile 3.   I did this, despite the fact that my legs were a bit tired from yesterday's speed workout and that I knew the last mile and a half had no shade AT ALL.  Why is it I always feel the need to push myself?

In unrelated news, we bought a new (to us) armoire this weekend to control some of the clutter in our living room.  Shoo has already proved that he's the kid that brought about the invention of the straps that attach furniture to the wall.  Oy.

I'm back!!

I ran an awesome 5 miles today.  I planned to do 5 miles at a 9 minute pace, but with a catch.  I wanted to fartlek.  I set my garmin to the average pace setting and did a nice 9 minute mile warm up.  For miles 2-4, my goal was to keep my average at 9, but run random distances faster.  I ended up doing the three miles faster than planned (8:39, 8:33, and 8:46), but the concept at least was a success.  Each mile, I'd run comfortable for a bit, then run faster.  Then I'd slow down until my average pace was back closer to my goal speed and then run fast again.  That, combined with the hills in my neighborhood, was quite a workout!  I then did a mile cool down a little slower than 9 and ended up doing the five miles in 44:12.

Beer Geek is traveling next week, so I actually have to plan my workouts.   I'm going to run another five tomorrow, aiming for the same 9 minute pace, but at a steady pace instead of the fartlek.  Monday is our last mom and me workout class.  Tuesday I have a babysitter for Shoo, so I'm planning my last long run (10ish miles) before my 10 mile race on June 20.  Wednesday I'll just go for a walk.  Thursday I'll hit the treadmill for 3 miles (speedwork) after the boys go to bed.  Then Friday I have a babysitter again, so I'll probably do an easy 5 0r 6.

We're having a much more normal weekend this weekend.  I've drunk a grand total of two beers and here it is Saturday night, and I'm blogging and Beer Geek is watching Cops.  Yeah, we're exciting like that, LOL.  My body is thanking me.  

Two races per month

This month will be the third month in a row that I've run two races.  As much as I love racing, I don't usually race more than once a month because our weekends are usually packed with kid stuff.  In April, I decided fairly last minute to run a 10 miler, in addition to my FL 5K.   In May, I ended up running two half marathons two weekends in a row.  This month, I'll be running the Lighthouse Run (10 miles) in Wisconsin and then the Time to Fly 10k in Minnesota.  Not only will I run two races this month, but that'll be two more states AND I get to run them with my dad.  

Speaking of my dad and the 50 state challenge, he is currently one state up on me.  He and my mom went to Nebraska for a wedding and discovered an 8K race in Missouri.  So, my dad ran it and my mom walked it.  (She finished in 1:08, which is a 13:40 pace!  WTG mom!)  I am in so much trouble when he retires next year.  Of course, since he's already retired a couple of times (he was an Air Force officer, then a teacher, and is currently a truancy officer and soccer coach), I'll believe it when I actually see it.  Anyways, once he retires, he and mom are planning to find cool races to do.  I think he drank the koolaid LOL.

Last night I had a really great run on the treadmill.  I wanted to do four by quarter mile repeats at a 7:30 pace.  I did manage two .25s at that pace and then .2, .1 and .1  I didn't quite make my goal, but that's the longest distance I've ever managed at that pace.  I ended up doing a total of 3.5 miles in 31:08.  I wore my Saucony shoes and a pair of Balega socks.  That seemed to work pretty well, so I'll be keeping the shoes.  I'm not sure if I'll replace my other pair of Mizunos with Saucony, but I've got a while to figure that out.

No exciting plans this weekend, but that's OK with me.  I'm still recovering from last weekend.  I will try to find something interesting to drink, so I can join in on raulgonemobile's Alky Tuesday.  

Lupulin Reunulin and Savor

As I've mentioned before, this past weekend was all about beer.  Beer Geek and I got to attend two of our favorite beer events:  the Lupulin Reunion* and Savor.  We attended both last year, but they weren't back to back, so it was a little easier.  This past weekend was a little like running a half marathon one day and a full marathon the next day, but a lot more fun.  (If you don't come here to read about beer, then all I have for you today is that I'll be running a few miles on the treadmill in the new shoes since it's raining and I can't get them dirty until I know I'm keeping them.  And that big holiday, National Running Day?  Yeah well, didn't get to run at all yesterday.  Sigh. )

Now, on to the beer:

Lupulin Reunulin

This year the Lupulin Reunulin was held at RFD instead of the Brickskeller.  I've attended many tastings at the Brickskeller over the years, but this was my first tasting at RFD.  I was looking forward to the experience and it did not disappoint.

This year's brewmaster lineup consisted of Tomme Arthur from Lost Abbey in California, Adam Avery from Avery Brewing Company in Colorado, Sam Calagione from Dogfish Head in Delaware, Vinnie Cilurzo from Russian River in Californaia, Bill Madden from Vintage 50 (and soon Mad Fox) in Virginia, and Rob Tod from Allagash Brewing in Maine (guess where I'm visiting AFTER my race in August).    With this group, I would have been happy to sit and listen to them banter for a couple of hours.  Not only are they all great brewers and knowledgeable about beer, but they are also darned funny.  But wait!  We didn't just get to listen to them, we also got to drink their beers, many of which are of limited distribution.  Over the course of the evening we got to taste 16! different beers**, learn a bit about how they were made, and hear some amusing anecdotes.    I enjoyed all of the beers, although I did pass most of the IPAs to Beer Geek after a taste.  Unfortunately, the lighting was such that I didn't take notes, but there were two beers I was surprised to love - Avery's Brabant and Dogfish Head's Pale India Ale (not to be confused with an India Pale Ale).    The Brabant was a bit sour at first, but the taste really grew on me.  The Pale India Ale was labelled as "hoppy onion" on our tasting sheets, which I found to be a fairly accurate name.  It was made with Indian spices donated by Pete from Pete's Wicked Ale (remember my cat?) and it just cried out to be drunk with a good Indian meal.  

But wait!  There's more!!  Apparently this event was where all the cool kids came to hang out.  In the audience were other brewers and beer bar owners.  As an added bonus, Ken Grossman and his son Brian from Sierra Nevada and Greg Koch from Stone Brewing showed up and were invited on stage!  For a beer loving gal, this was like a dream come true.  (And the more beer they drank, the more entertaining they became.)  Thankfully, Julie Johnson Bradford from All About Beer was moderating, so the humor only got out of hand a couple of times.  ;o)

Here's the brewers' table at the end of the evening with Ken Grossman, Greg Koch, Vinnie Cilurzo, Brian Grossman, Tomme Arthur, Sam Calagione, and Rob Tod  (Bill Madden and Adam Avery are just to the right).  The table with the beer at the very bottom left of the picture.  That's our table.

Our table (quite late in the evening).  Thanks to tablemates Marty and Donna for the pictures.  
After a wonderful evening of good food, great beer, and entertaining conversation, Beer Geek and I headed home to rest up for Round 2: Savor.

Savor

This was only the second year of Savor, but it was extremely well run for such a new event.  It was held at the National Building Museum, which is one of the most beautiful museums in Washington, D.C.   We got there a bit early and stood in line for the doors to open.  Despite being about a block away from the actual door, we got in quite quickly once the doors opened.  Kudos to the event staff for moving us through efficiently.

Upon entering the Great Hall, we picked up a program and our tasting glasses.  As per our usual modus operandi, we headed to the far end of the room to scope out the beers.   I'd be lying if I told you I remember all the beers I tasted.  There were 68 brewers with 2 beers each, all paired with really good food.  The only lines I saw the whole evening were for Russian River and The Lost Abbey (oh, and the oyster bar).  Since we'd had beers from both those breweries the night before, we skipped those breweries until the very end of the evening after the lines were gone.  Like a marathon, this event was all about pacing and I'm happy to say we did indeed make it to the end of the event.  

Over the course of the evening, I had some truly amazing beers.  Brooklyn Brewery's Local #2 was great and we will be adding a bottle of that to our cellared collection.    Foothills Brewing had a lovely, dark, chocolatey Imperial Stout called Sexual Chocolate that I loved.  Deshutes Brewery's Black Butte Porter was so very yummy and paired amazingly well with Maytag Blue Cheese.   But I found a new beer love.  It's now definitely in my top 10, maybe in my top 5.***  New Holland Brewing's Dragon's Milk Oak Aged Ale was so good that I went back FOUR times.  It's the only beer all night that I drank more than once.

All in all, the beer was amazing and the food was great.  Towards the end of the evening, we got the munchies and I polished off a ton of chipotle cinnamon chocolates, as well as my weight in Wisconsin cheese.    We WILL be attending this again next year.

*Lupulin Reunulin: lupulin is part of what gives hoppy beers their bitterness.

**Beers we tasted:  

Lost Abbey/Port Brewing:  Hot Rocks Stein Lager, 3rd Anniversary Pale Strong Ale, Carneale Bretted Saison

Avery Brewing:  Brabant Barrel Aged 100% Brett, The Maharaja Imperial IPA, Mephistopheles Stout

Dogfish Head:  Palo Santo Marron, Festina Peche, Pale India Ale

Russian River:  Blind Pig IPA, Consecration

Vintage 50:  Wee Heavy 2002, Headknocker, another beer I can't remember

Allagash Brewing: Confluence, Hugh Malone (or Huge Mellons as their original permit said)

***My favorite beers (not necessarily in order):  Alaskan Smoked Porter, Anchor Porter, Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout,  Dogfish Head Palo Santo Marron, Dominion Baltic Porter, Kasteel Donker, New Holland Dragon's Milk.  (I like a lot of other beers, including many lighter in color and flavor than the above, but if one of these is in the fridge, that's what I'll be drinking first.)

Semi Wordless Wednesday: Savor pictures

Me with Sam Calagione of Dogfish Head:

Dogfish Head Logo on one of the columns of the National Building Museum:

Me with Savor in the background:
And a PSA for everyone- if you let your 7 year old borrow your digital camera, make sure the settings are back to normal and you put new batteries in the camera before you take it someplace you plan to take pictures that you want to turn out.  Just sayin'.

May recap, goals revisited, and Saucony maiden run

1) Run at least three half marathons, with the eventual goal of a sub-2 hour half.    All done, with two of them at sub-2.  Revised goal:  Beat 1:30 at the Army 10 miler in October.

2) Run races in at least three new states (but I'm aiming for 5).
Still looking good here. Delaware is DONE.  Florida is DONE.  Wisconsin is in June.  Maine is in August.  I'm looking at doing Minnesota in June as well, so I may be able to pull off 6 states this year...

3) Workout five times a week.  I need to redefine working out in my mind.  Running more than 4 days a week is too hard on my body.  For some reason, I do better with four longer runs than with five shorter runs.  So, if I can get in four good quality runs and try to walk two days a week, I'm going to call that good.  Hopefully once Shoo goes to preschool in the fall, I can take a class or hit the gym once a week to truly cross-train.  Summer is starting and with two kids underfoot a lot more, it's going to be all I can do to get in the running.

4) Stop stressing about my weight and start lifting weights.  This experiment has not worked.  I'm having a very hard time staying where I want to be.  I've also really slacked on the weights.   My first goal is to stop the mindless eating in the afternoon and the snacking on the lunch foods while I'm packing lunches.  I'm also going to aim for lifting four days a week, rather than every day.   Once I get back to that, hopefully I can slowly build back to 7 days a week (since I never have time for a full body workout).  

5) Run at least 8-10 races this year.
6 down, 4-6 to go.  

Current schedule

February 1 -12k (done)

March 15 - half marathon (done)

April 11 - 5k  done

April 26 - 10 miler  done

May 10 - half marathon done

May 17 - half marathon done

June 21 - 10 miler 

August 2 - 10k

September - I need to find a new race as I can't do the Philadelphia Distance Run this year.

October 4 - 10 miler

November 26 - 5k

I seem to have gotten out of the funk I was in for most of May.  I just needed to step back and think about what I want to accomplish.  I realized that for me, training hard (ie, including hills and speed work as well as distance) means my body needs more non-running days.  Running both days on the weekend just wasn't working for me.  I want to still have some runs with purpose, but I need to cut myself some slack.  Every run does not need to be a PR.  Yesterday and today, I ran because I wanted to, not because I "had" to.

Speaking of today's run, I wore the Saucony Triumphs for the first time.  They were really nice and cushiony, but I wore my Wright socks, which are my thinnest socks and felt like I was sliding around a bit in the shoes.  I liked the extra space in the toe area and the heels fit fine, they just felt a little wide.  I'm planning to run in them again on Thursday with a slightly heavier sock and see how that works out.  The run itself was great for the first two miles, but I made the classic "too fast on a hot day" mistake.  The first mile was slightly downhill with shade at an 8:45 pace.  The second mile included a half mile of uphill and almost no shade at an 8:57 pace.  The third mile included walking.  Yeah, that's what happens when you push yourself on a 90 degree day, when you aren't used to the heat yet.  I'm pretty sure I did the same thing last year.  At least I didn't puke this time.

Ahh, that felt better

Dad and I went for a nice five mile run this morning.  We did the first three at a little over a 9:30 pace and then knocked out the last two in 9:11 and 8:54.  I was having some issues with breathing, I think due to the pine pollen, but my legs felt much better.  I love running with my dad.  He always pushes me to do a little bit more or a little bit faster than I would have done by myself.  

After our run, we headed over to the LRS and checked out the shoes.  Interestingly, the guy there said we run the same and recommended the same shoes for both of us: either the Mizuno Wave Rider or the Saucony Triumph.  I hadn't gone there planning to buy shoes, but I have one pair of Riders with 400+ miles and one with 300+.  My "new" pair has close to 100 already.   I've found that the Mizunos tend to start causing me problems when they get over 400 miles on them.  I ended up walking out of there with a new pair of Saucony's for me and a pair of Asics for Jones.   Oops.  I'll take mine out for a run tomorrow evening to make sure that I like them.

I need to revisit my monthly goals as I'm finding that some of them are not working for me.  May, despite running two half marathons (or maybe because I ran two half marathons), was not a good running month for me.