PUMPED

Tomorrow is the Wings/Caps game here in DC and I cannot be more excited. The Wings only play in DC once every other year or so. I got my ticket last October as soon as the schedule was posted - and I dropped a pretty big chunk of change on a great seat.

The Bruins softened up the Caps' star player for us with a brutal hit into the boards, but I'm pretty pissed about that, actually. We like to crush teams when they're at their best, not when they're already on their knees. Victory is so much sweeter when it's against a prepared opponent.

Tonight after work I will be picking up the materials for my sign. I'm going to meet a friend at the rink early and will try to take some photos of practice and what's sure to be a romantic and memorable marriage proposal from the Wings' captain, Nik Lidstrom. Next blog post might be from my new home in Sweden!

What I'm Eating

I have been craving nothing but fat lately. And so my usual modified Precision Nutrition diet has been replaced by a sort of freestyle Mediterranean diet. Currently I am sitting at my computer with a bowl of Greek yogurt topped with almonds and blueberries. Later I will feast on all manner of olives, roasted peppers, roasted garlic (whatev, I'm alone tonight), sundried tomatoes, red wine, more nuts, and cheese.

I did stop short of buying desserts at the store today, though. Fat is what I need, not sugar.

Eat what your body is craving, that's what I say - just as long as it's a genuine nutritional NEED and not a whimsical WANT (at least most of the time!).

If you'll excuse me... I need to go put together a platter of snacks and settle down with my book to watch the rain.

Why didn't I do this sooner??

Today I had my hair cut. DRASTICALLY. It is SHORT. I have always loved my long curls but lately they have been looking shaggy no matter what I try, so I opted for health over length and love the results.

My hair barely touches my shoulders now but it is bouncy and so cute! The curls look totally different than they did long - real ringlets now. I love it! I also took the shade a little darker and am happy with the results.

How much you wanna bet that everyone at work will think I'm either in love or recently broken up? Hehehe. Whatever they think, I don't care. I love my new look.

Semi-Annual Cable Dilemma

Once again I am considering cancelling cable. It's a demon I fight, a total time-suck. I have no problem with TV watching. I think watching the news is a responsible thing, and even a little escapism can be healthy. But I have a real problem with channel-surfing a mindless staring... so I am starting to think that a little hiatus would be healthy.

But the thing is - that really doesn't solve anything. Like... you can't be proud of yourself for avoiding chocolate cake when you never have any in the house. So instead of cancelling cable, I think I am going to keep it but try something revoluationary such as exerting some control over the situation.

Plus, NHL playoffs are coming up and while I do get an old-school satisfaction from listening to games on the radio, I don't want to be even remotely divorced from the action and, eventually, the sweet, sweet victory.

Cute Story

On Monday, the day before the Inauguration, I was running my hilliest route which is a 4.7 mile loop down Wisconsin Ave, around the National Cathedral, down Massachusetts Ave to the Naval Observatory, and up 34th St/Reno Rd back home. It's a tough course but I was feeling up to it.

Heading down Massachusetts I noticed a motorcade heading toward me. About ten police cruisers were escorting three large tour buses northbound. Motorcades are not unusual in DC, especially in light of the major event that was taking place the next day, but I glanced over and wondered for a second what that was all about.

Well, this morning I ran into a co-worker who said that he saw me running on Massachusetts Ave on Monday. I laughed and asked if I looked strong. He said he thought so and that the 400 National Guardsmen he was escorting thought so too!! He said they suddenly became very interested when he said he knew me. Hehehe! I thought that was cute.

It's funny how many people I work with have seen me out and about running in the city. It's good incentive to stay strong and resist the urge to stop for a breather or to stretch.

Speaking of which, I've had very, very consistent times lately and am proud of my progress. Now if only I could get my yoga practice back....

Iron Chef

While in Philadelphia last weekend I had the opportunity to dine at Iron Chef Morimoto's restaurant. I chose the 7-course omakase with beverage pairing, and despite my copious notes, I will absolutely not be able to do the meal justice in this write-up. But for those who are curious:

Amuse Bouche:
Whipped sweet potato and goat cheese with chili flakes. This was sent compliments of Eric Ripert, the chef at the Ritz-Carlton where I was staying. It pays to make reservations using the hotel concierge!

First Course:
Moet et Chandon champagne
Toro (fatty tuna) mixed with crunchy shallots and garlic topped with caviar with a yoyomama Japanese plum to cleanse the palate.

Second Course:
2007 Clos du Bois Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand
Rainbow snapper carpaccio sliced thin over a garlic ginger sauce with cilantro

Third Course:
2006 Andre Boname (white)
Sashimi salad over microgreens

Fourth Course:
Apple mint syrup

Fifth Course:
2007 Riesling
Halibut with seaweed wrap over buerre blanc and lobster (my favorite course)

Sixth Course:
2007 Merlot
Parmesan-crusted lamb with pignoli ratatouille

Seventh Course:
Sake
Sushi tasting

Dessert Course:
Portuguese Madeira
Chocolate mint mousse cake with a chocolate caramel sauce

Morbid Premonition

I'm not sure why this is suddenly happening, but every time I cross the street I find myself thinking, "A car could come screaming around the corner and take me out and I wouldn't even know what hit me." And then I get all shaky and nervous and jumpy. It's so weird and I don't know where this random death anxiety is coming from.

So for now I'll just be really careful when I'm walking, especially in my daily jaywalk across U St to get tea, and most especially when I'm running. I always watch cars at intersections and try to make eye contact with drivers. I never assume that they see me. I always wear my Road ID. But until this weird morbidity wears off, I'm going to be extra cautious.

Soup

I made the most delicious (and simple!) lentil soup last night! At the risk of sounding like a completely elementary chef, I will post the recipe, which I made up. The whole thing, from veggie prep to boiling/reducing the broth, took about thirty minutes. And though I have had zero appetite since my food poisoning episode on Monday I took some to work with me today and made sure to get it down so that I can go out for five miles this afternoon.

3 carrots, peeled
5 celery ribs
1/2 large yellow onion
5 cloves garlic
2 Tbsps butter
2 cans low-sodium lentils
1 can crushed tomatoes
1 cup chicken stock
Salt, pepper, and cumin to taste

Melt butter over low heat and add chopped onion, celery, carrot and garlic. Stir to soften. Increase heat to medium and add crushed tomatoes and lentils plus half the tomato can of water. Add chicken stock and bring to a boil. Reduce and simmer for 20 minutes. Season as necessary.

High fiber, high protein, low fat.

Too simple for words. I feel silly even posting this. But it really turned out well, and though I wasn't hungry at all, it tasted good and I do feel more alert having eaten.

It's very cold (in the 20's) but I will layer up and head out there after work. No rest for the weary.

Unintended Hiatus

Sorry guys for not posting in a while. After the trip to Philadelphia, which included the most amazing 7-course meal at Morimoto's (no not paid for by the conference - I wish!) I came down with a pretty bad bout of food poisoning and have been laid up in bed for the past 24-hours.

I will blog my best about the meal here in a day or so, but understand that there's no way in freaking hell my words can do it justice.

I am supremely frustrated with the lack of consistent running and yoga in my life since BEFORE Christmas. My weight is stable, which is good, but for me running and yoga are about more than weight - they're about stress relief, strength, cultivation of the mind. I have a begin-training date of February 1st for my March half-marathon and would like to hit the ground running (pun intended) but unless I can get my ass in gear these next few weeks, I am basically going to be starting from scratch.

Dining in Philly

I'm here in Philadelphia attending a conference at the Ritz-Carlton. It's cold here, but I manageed to get a good 4+ miles in along the river yesterday, which was promptly ruined by two huge slices of pizza. Oh well. It was worth it.

Tonight I have a reservation at Morimoto's restaurant. I'm hoping for the seven-course omakase with beverage pairing... I will take copious notes and let you all know how it was!

What I'm Doing Differently

I can't figure out how to get the countdown ticker thingy to work, but if I could, you would see that I am running the National Half Marathon on March 21st. It's going to be a slow, hilly course and it's about time to start training. Having just come off a half-marathon last October, I have been thinking about my training methods and whether or not they could be improved. Here is what I'm going to do differently:

Eliminate Pre-Training: To get ready for Detroit last year, I took two months of "pre-training," which basically turned out to be base-mileage building. The problem was that mentally I felt like I was already "in training" and thus by the time I entered ten weeks of official training, I was burned out. This time around, I am going to elimiate the pre-training period and go right into official training on February 1st. In the mean time I will work on consistency and building endurance without the mental stress and dietary changes that come with training.

Tweak The Diet: For Detroit, I did pretty well cleaning up my diet and eliminating alcohol and sweets, but I didn't modify the core of my diet, which is basically a relaxed version of Precision Nutrition. This time, I will still eliminate sweets and alcohol but I will also increase protein, fish, and leafy greens.

Weight-Train: Weight-training can be tricky for runners, as a fatigued upper body can seriously hinder speed (your upper body is what propels you forward, especially on hills). BUT, it's important to have a strong upper body and weight training can reduce the likelihood of injuries. So, my weight work will be negatively correlated to my mileage: as mileage increases, weight work will get lighter and less frequent.

Track Mileage and Speed: I really need to be more deliberate about this if I am going to hit my pace goals. Training for Detroit without a watch was pretty much pointless. I ran okay, but couldn't really predict my time or track my progress, so it was difficult to know if I should be proud of myself once I finished.

Reduce Taper: Something weird happened when I was training for Detroit: I got sick just before my taper started. So, effectively, my taper lasted two weeks instead of one, which made me fall short of my total mileage goals and messed up my last chance for a long run. Since I plan to increase my overall miles (both total and long run) to prepare for the National Half, this will mean that taper will be shorter, probably only five days instead of seven. Plus, the fact that I'll be out of town for a week in high elevation three weeks out means that I won't have the luxury of a long taper right before the race.

not bad for the first timed one

So, in keeping with one of my resolutions, I replaced my watch battery and timed my run.

I did my normal/easy run, a hilly loop around my neighborhood. It comes to about 4.45 miles, and I did it in 47:50.

That time includes about 90 seconds of waiting at various traffic lights and 5-10 seconds of doubling over, nursing a sidestitch.

Pretty slow, but not bad. I haven't run since Christmas Eve and am feeling a little thick around the middle. A week or so of clean eating and consistent running/yoga practice, maybe 3-5lbs shaved off, and I should be able to cut down that time significantly.

Photos and Reflections

I'm finally back in DC and ready to get back into my routine - namely running. I haven't been out in over a week and I feel it. Tomorrow will be my first run under my new year's resolution to track my time and mileage. I'll have to scale back the miles a little... so maybe 3-ish will be a good start.

Iceland was amazing. Here are some things I loved about my trip and the country itself:

Skyr (Icelandic yogurt): thick, creamy, rich in protein and low in sugar, Icelandic yogurt makes American yogurt seem like liquid candy.

Authenticity: My Golden Circle tour guide mentioned this and I really feel it's true, that Icelandic culture and Reykjavik itself are just naturally cool, hip, and trendy. Nothing is necessarily designed to promote tourism, it's just that tourists are now realizing that Iceland is awesome. I really got the feeling that the City Center was a place where Icelanders live, work, shop, and hang out - not that the main streets were designed with tourism in mind. Makes for a very genuine and authentic travel experience.

Water (hot and cold): The hot water is endless and cheap, being heated geothermally. The cold water is pure and tasty, probably safer than bottled water since it comes directly from the glacier.

Bjork: I found that that the singer's name is actually pronounced "bee-yershk" and not "bee-york" as I always thought. Who knew?

Also on this trip, I learned that it's okay to:
*Travel to a foreign city and never set foot in a museum;
*Travel to a foreign country and not pick up a single word of the language;
*Not drink on New Year's Eve;
*Sleep through my wake up call (a couple times!)
*Not check my work email (this was hard for me!)

Reykjavik


The mid-Atlantic rift runs straight down the middle of Iceland. The Eurasian and North American plates are separating at a rate of 2.5cm per year.


Gullfoss - the Golden Falls


Gullfoss


The Blue Lagoon


The Blue Lagoon



Fireworks


More fireworks


More fireworks!

NYE Re-Cap

So, I have a while before my airport shuttle comes and there is internet access at the tourist information center next to my hotel. So - here is the post you've been waiting for!

I had gotten the scoop on New Year's from David, my Golden Circle tour guide, so I was basically prepared for the flow of the evening.

After returning from the Blue Lagoon, I grabbed a quick lamb kabob for dinner and headed back to my hotel to catch a nap before the festivities. Well, that didn't happen... so I passed the time watching American movies on the television in my room. I knew that Icelanders wouldn't be out in the streets until almost 11:30pm, as they would be inside watching the traditional year-end re-cap of the year's news and events.

So, around 11:15pm I left my hotel to start making my way up to Hallgrimskirkja, the big church I had visited on my second day. It's a very high point in the city and I knew it would be a good place to watch people and the fireworks.

How strange it was to walk along empty streets in a major city on a night like New Year's... you would have thought it was 5am on a random weekday. There were literally about fifteen people on the streets between my hotel and the church circle. David was right! Everyone really was inside! It was creepy! But by the time I got up the hill, more and more people were coming out. Fireworks had already begun, in fact, I had been hearing them since about 8pm!

So, the first thing that happened was that some idiot climbed onto the very tall statue of Leif Eriksson in the middle of the square and promply fell off. When he hit the ground, he absolutely did not move. At all. And so, a few minutes later, the ambulances arrived and carted him away. I have no idea if he was a tourist or an Icelander... whoever he was, he spent the night in the hospital and I hope he's okay. There was a big pool of blood where he landed, which I took a picture of.

The fireworks came in waves, and with little regard to safety. I don't think there were any 'official' displays... rather, it seemed like everyone and anyone was setting them off. Huge rockets were being launched from only 20 feet away, and as far as the eye could see explosions lit up the night sky. After about ten minutes, the whole city was blanketed with smoke. Wave after wave of fireworks, everywhere, totally relentless... it was loud, people were spraying champagne, lighting sparklers and crackers, rockets launching from what seemed like the middle of the crowd.

It was unbelievable and now I see what they mean when they said that Icelanders spend more money on fireworks for New Year's Eve than Londoners, even with just a fraction of the population. I was breathing smoke and feeling the heat of embers, my ears were ringing... and at some point my feet became ice cubes, my hands were numb, and my teeth were just clenched together, not even chattering anymore... I was so, so cold, but almost afraid to leave my spot under the statue because I didn't know where the next rocket would come from!

I tentatively made my way through the crowd, needing more than anything to get warm. On my way down the hill, I saw David! Small world, Reykjavik, but I didn't wave him over.

I was almost back to my hotel when this guy approached me. He was drunk and English was not his first language, so I had a really hard time understanding him. He kept trying to ask me a question but I couldn't tell what he wanted to know. Finally he started sniffing and repeated, 'In the nose! In the nose!' and it occurred to me that he wanted to know where to buy cocaine!! I told him I was very sorry but I didn't know anything about that. To make sure I understood, he whipped out a small bag of the powder and showed it to me. I repeated that I was sorry but I couldn't help him, and he stumbled off on his way.

I made it back to my hotel without meeting my fate, and crawled into bed, frozen to the marrow. It's true... Icelanders really do know how to celebrate... and fireworks on the Mall will never measure up.

NYE In Reykjavik

Oh. My. God.

The New Year's Eve celebration last night was like nothing I have EVER seen in my life. Icelanders know how to celebrate... let me just tell you that.

Today is a long day, I am flying to JFK but not getting on my flight to DC for various reasons. I'll be on the east coast until Saturday night. Unfortunately, I might not have enough time to blog until then, but when I do I promise you guys will get the full NYE scoop plus photos and reflections from the trip.

Until then, I must get packing. Happy 2009!

I Like it Hot - Blue Lagoon

With today being my last day in Iceland I needed to priorize my activities. I cancelled my riding tour in favor of a trip to the Blue Lagoon, and it was a wonderful decision.

The cold Arctic wind was whipping but the milky blue waters were warm. I floated around inside first before braving the outdoor lagoon. GLORIOUS. The silica and algae made my skin feel baby-soft, but wreaked havoc on my hair. In a minute I'm going to go pour half a bottle of conditioner on it, so that should help.

Dinner tonight will be sushi, then a nap before venturing out for the fireworks and bonfires. Icelanders set off about 1,300 tons (that's right - TONS) of fireworks each New Year's Eve, so it should be an extravaganza. More on that after the fact.

So, for a couple hours tonight after midnight I will be hanging out in 2009 while the rest of y'all are stuck in the stone age, practically!

Northern Lights

We drove an hour into the middle of Iceland last night and saw a glimpse of the Northern Lights, a neon green swath along the horizon, streaking low into the sky. It was a bit cloudy so the show wasn't spectacular, but still!

Despite the clouds, the stars were unbelievable. I've never seen stars twinkle and glitter the way they were last night. Almost flashing!!

Blue Lagoon is later today... stand by!

Dinner

I got word that our Northern Lights trip for tonight is a go! So I went out to grab a quick bite beforehand.

I found my way to a grungy but delicious pizza shop not far from my hotel. The walls were chalkboard and full of messages and designs. I ordered a 12'' pepperoni pizza and it came with a wheel of parmesan cheese, dried herbs, habanero and garlic oil. The boys behind the counter performed complex tricks on their yo-yos between orders. It was pretty quiet at 7:30pm but I imagine that the place gets packed wall to wall after the bars close!

The owner spoke perfect English and helped me iron out a plan for New Year´s Eve... more on that to come. Apparently Iceland (with it's 300,000 people) spends more on their fireworks displays than London (with it's 12 millions) does!

Now I'm going to chill for a bit before I get picked up and we head out of Reykjavik and into the pure, black Icelandic night.

Evening Update

I am going to take the opportunity to update on my evening while there is no queue for the internet..

Still waiting to find out whether or not the Northern Lights tour is on for this evening. It has been cloudy lately and they have been cancelling tours, but my hopes are high.

I passed a few hours reading my murder mystery at an English pub. Whatever, don't judge me! I had a craving for creamy English beer after the mediocre Viking beer I had last night.

I remember visiting a Starbucks after a few days in Shanghai... the city was so completely foreign to me that I just needed to be someplace where I recognized the menu! I sort of had that feeling this evening.

If it's too cloudy to see the Northern Lights I am going to try to have dinner either on the harbor at a restaurant called the Sea Baron, which is supposed to have amazing lobster soup, or at Vegemot, a trendy vegetarian restaurant in downtown Reykjavik. No matter what, you will get the details for sure...

Cafe Post and Observations

This will be a quick post since I'm at the hotel and don't want to tie up the internet. It was a bit of a lost day today, but still a nice one. I didn't quite obey my wake-up call and so by the time I got moving couldn't book any day tours. Instead I took a little cafe tour with my Icelandic murder mystery, starting at Mokka, the oldest cafe in Reykjavik, and then heading to Kaffi and Te, where they remembered me from my first day.

I like to try to be a regular at a place when I travel. In China I visited the same bar every night before heading back to my hotel, and by the end of my trip we were taking photos together and they even hung one on the wall, so I was told by a friend who visited there after I left.

I finished up at a little cafe/bookstore along the main road, so full of tea and pastry that I couldn't do much but watch Icelandic life go by outside.

Observation: Icelandic fathers seem to be very involved with their children! I can't tell you how many single (well, I don't know if they are single per se, or just alone at the time) men I saw pushing baby carriages. I saw several male couples with kids, and the street vendor I watched for about an hour from inside a cafe had his little daughter with him and passed the time between customers playing games with her. David, our British tour guide from yesterday, had his 4-year old son Gabriel with him because school was closed. (David moved to Iceland in 1985 but said it took him forever to learn Icelandic... he only became fluent about five years ago!).

Last night's dinner was pretty mellow. I went to an Indian restaurant and feasted on lamb curry, cheese-filled naan, mango chutney, and some of the garlickiest naan I have ever tasted... all washed down with a Viking beer (bottled and brewed in northern Iceland). The beer was okay... I prefer rich and creamy English and Belgian beers but this one was okay.

Tonight I am schedule to leave Reykjavik and see the Northern Lights, but it's a bit cloudy and the trip may be cancelled. Hear's hoping we get to go! And tomorrow morning I am schedule to go horseback riding... then hopefully we will all visit the Blue Lagoon in the afternoon!

I can't wait to post pictures of all this!