an honest to goodness update

Aside from posting some pictures of holiday fun, I really haven't written much on here lately. The primary reason news has been absent from the site is because its real life feed has been running on extreme. From end of year business at not one but two jobs, coming down with a 24 hour bug, travelling, engagement and wedding planning, running a PR at the Christmas Run to well, assembling everyday nuts and bolts.

I have a tiny window of time before the New Year to take care of housekeeping tasks such as dismantling the christmas tree as well as larger scale things such as securing a date and location for a June wedding. As I waded into the shallow end of the waters of the wedding world, I quickly realized that I am behind a pack of swimmers who have already perfected their front stroke. Venues are booked months in advance at some places....and when I say months, perhaps I should upgrade the unit of measurement to years to illustrate the point. However, it is what it is and I am ready to make the most of it and have fun while doing so.

I start back part time coaching with The Help Group tomorrow and then back to full time at the school on Tuesday. Once Tuesday hits it will be go-go-go for the next 6 months. No joke.

Despite all the hullabaloo, I still am planning on keeping at my running. Christmas Day, I ran around Black Mountain in Cave Creek Arizona for a 9 mile trail/hill terrain workout. Prior to that, the big running news was that I ran the Venice Christmas Run and averaged a 8:16 pace for a 10K PR of 51: 16. Boom! Could not believe it! I just returned from the track workout at Caltech and left feeling positive about the workout despite having tummy pains due to a spicy Mexican lunch. Up on deck is the 13.1 Half on January 15th. We shall see how this goes.......

PS....Check out the cute design on the Christmas Run shirts:

smiles

Marvimon

On Tuesday I have booked an appointment to check out the Marvimon House as a potential wedding location. While it may be a bit more than ideal budget wise, it surpasses any aesthetic expectation I had in mind. Succulent walls, taxidermy, vintage lanterns and well, it used to house Italian race cars in the 20's. Hopefully the dates and times will work in our favor.......

Holiday Story

Well, I finally returned to the land of Pacific Standard Time. It was a bittersweet return that was full of both the excitement of being in my own home as well the sadness of leaving friends and family, some of whom I really only get to see once yearly. Tis the season of love though with the recent engagements of both me and David and also Danielle and Morgan. Here are some candids as Danielle and Morgan share the news to friends:

exhausted

i have had one sort of week. not bad. not great. i guess a week with what feels like a hundred completely different experiences and not al all mine. i have been witness to some pretty unique stories and events with my 2o some clients this week. if my ethics were out the window, i would be sharing those experiences with you, reader, but nay......professionalism sure is a bore.

Update: New gear, new injuries, new frustration.....

Lets start with the good: I picked up a cute Asics running bag at A Runner's Circle. Going to workouts at places that originate elsewhere than my home require carrying gear. My cute totes, while stylish, just don't cut the mustard as most of them are sans zippers. I had checked out a couple places, both in person and on-line and realized that the Asics bag was the way to go. Size wise, durability and price. Sure, the North Face duffles were kind of the best, but I could use the 50 price difference to do something else....like buy more vinyl (more on that later). And more importantly, Asics has for me, proven to be the best running shoe out on the market. For that, I will gladly carry a bag that dons the mark of the brand.

With speak of new workouts, I should give a shout out to the Los Feliz Flyers Running Group. I decided to be adventurous and join a group that both suited my running needs and more importantly, crazy schedule. The Flyers have a 2 hour run at the Caltech track each Wednesday night starting at 6:30. The first 30 minutes are for the runner to do 2 or so easy miles on the track and then at 7 , the club breaks off into groups to do more structured runs focused on improving speed, technique etc. For the first workout, we did what was called a 23232. Two laps, rest. 3 laps rest then two laps...you get the idea. Having a coach call your splits really hit home how fast I used to be! The group rocks and I am really glad I took a risk and went solo to the run.

The downside is that the track workout coupled with an increase in both Spin and Yoga has taken a toll.....on my right rotator cuff. Thursday's hellish commute home on Interstate 10 was amplified by the fact that I all of a sudden had a decrease in mobility in my right arm. When I got home, I realized that the mobility loss was also accompanied by shooting pain which unfortunately got worse overnight. A trip to Kaiser on Friday diagnosed me with an inflammation in the cuff and sent me home with a both prescription for Advil as well as a runners worst nightmare.....rest. I will be starting physical therapy in the next week. An evaluation with the sports medicine doctor is also in order. I can jog lightly, but no overhead activity (Spin, Yoga) for a couple weeks. Argh.

And when to schedule these new and temporarily routine appointments? I need to do some serious schedule changes pronto......

Keep you posted.

Zinfandel Pot Roast....in the Le Creuset!

Perhaps it was the winter weather, but I finally busted out the Le Creuset. The last time we used the lil' guy was at New Year's Eve when we made Coq Au Vin. Not being such a natural in the kitchen, I found myself flipping through my Art of Braising cookbook and found a delicious pot roast recipe almost identical to this one. The roast, while taking about 45 minutes of face time, required a full three hours in the oven. While it may not be a great everyday recipe, it served to be perfect for a cold Sunday evening. Now we have delicious leftovers for days to come.