Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Seattle {2019}

After we lost CB, we decided to take a short trip somewhere. Initially I wanted to go somewhere during Thanksgiving weekend (4 days off!) but since travel during the holidays especially turkey day,  is a cluster we decided on the week prior and Seattle. I had never been to Seattle before and L had been there a few times but didn’t get to experience much due to work.


We got to ORD super early and boarded our plane and did what we love to do- take photos.

Shortly after takeoff, I looked out the window and saw a glory rainbow out of our window. I attributed it to CB whom we lost 2 months ago  (even though I know these are caused by basic science it was totally CB giving us this)

When we got closer to Seattle we saw mount Ranier out our window.

I love mountains!

Once we landed, I registered for Clear which took 5 min then we checked into the hotel and walked to the market.

I was starving by this point so we went to Piroshky Piroshky for a delicious Piroshky filled with cheese and potatoes.

This was the perfect snack while we walked around.

We saw a huge stuffed otter.

And then went to Ivar’s for some fish n chips.

The chowder was great! I had the white and L had the red. The fish was also good too. We ate inside the tent as it was just above freezing outside and there were huge seagulls who wanted our food.

We had the Cajun spice cod.

Huge ass gull who would have fought us for our food (and won).

We continued walking around and found a pet supply store. I ended up getting Ze a donut and some special homemade biscuits from Seattle. We spent 15 min talking to the store owner. He had 2 beautiful cats and a small dog in the store. He was so passionate about the items he stocked in the store.

We went to the hotel for a quick nap and then went to Holy Mountain brewery.

And met up with our friend John, from MRC Seattle. We had met him previously at the shamrock shuffle this year and were happy we could all meet up over great beers in Seattle. Reason 1,283,839 why Mikkeller running club is the best- friends all over the world who are more than happy to run or grab a pint with you.

For dinner we went to Mamnoon. It was so good. 

Muhammara- this walnut based spread was mind blowing delicious. I need to learn how to make it.

Brussels sprouts with pomegranate.


A delicious huge pita with turnip, spices.

Scallops. I’m still thinking about the sauce and the scallops.

Labneh cheesecake with cotton candy hair.


Saturday morning we ran to Fremont.

And saw the troll!

And then went to biscuit bitch where I had a biscuit with gravy, scrambled eggs, and grits. I also had a dirty pumpkin chai. We ate outside on the patio seating. It was around 40degrees. But was nice to be outside. (This is something that I found interesting- all the outdoor seating and people occupying the seats even though it was not more than 40 degrees)


For lunch we went to Taylor Shellfish Farms for oysters.

They were all so good!

We went to Unicorn bar for Jell-O shots and frou frou drinks.

I loved how this bar was decorated.

We went to Cloudburst Brewing to quench our thirst after walking a lot.

Sunset was gorgeous.

For dinner we went to Shiro’s Sushi. (As in Jiro dreams of sushi, brother)


I was so excited to eat some of the freshest sushi while in Seattle.


Mackerel.

Cod Karaage. The outside was so crispy and the inside so delicate.

Tamago, Geoduck, and two types of tuna.

I was happy to try geoduck but it was not my favorite.

Post dinner we went to Rob Roy’s for drinks.

I got the house special, an old fashioned.


Sunday morning we made another friend.


We went to the market again and I got 3 small artesanal jams. While looking at the selection of jams the owner/maker offered us free samples which we politely declined multiple times- I was just going to buy them because I knew they’d be good. Once I asked about the golden raspberry habanero jam she just gave us samples of it- no way to say no (and the jam was predictably delicious). We joked that we must have been the first people to not go crazy for free samples.


We went to Fremont Brewing.



The space was nice and the beer was really good.



Post beer we went to The Masonry. They have an excellent selection of beer and food. 

Beets and burrata.


Clams in a curry sauce with focaccia.

Pizza with hot copa, grana, and hot peppers.


We had to stop back at Holy Mountain for one last beer before our trip was over.


Monday morning we woke up at 3am to get to our 6am flight.



There was an emotional support parrot seated in the row behind us. It behaved the entire flight.


It was a great quick trip. I’m so happy we got away for a few days to explore Seattle. 

Fun story from Saturday: 
When we went to Bartles drug store for water and postcards, the cashier asked us where we were from, and then said “you’re not thinking of moving here, are you?” Uh nope.  With the addition and growth of companies such as Expedia, google, and Amazon it’s driven the cost of living up quite high.


I’m currently inspired to make:
Biscuits
Steamed Clams
Muhammara



Monday, November 4, 2019

Carrera de los Muertos + NP 13x1 Relay {2019}

On Saturday we ran our first Carrera de los Muertos!

We took an Uber to the start and walked into our corral with 7 min to spare. Perfection. 

The atmosphere was electric! So many vendors and so many people dressed up. I decided to wear my Ze balaclava and skeleton tights. 

We lined up at the back of the “5:00-7:59/ mile” pace signs. And without fanfare we were off. 

We had a lot of fun running the streets of Pilsen and seeing so many people celebrating. 

Post race we couldn’t find the beer or churros so we took a cool photo with these guys. 

And I had a delicious quesadilla con papas y chorizo. 

I enjoyed the course a lot- as it wasn’t an out and back like what I’m used to on the lakefront. 

When we were almost home I realized I got 3rd AG. I didn’t want us to stick around in the cold because I seriously didn’t think a 23;54 would place me. (Previous results indicate people come to run fast to get a sweet AG skull award, usually low 21-22’s and I wasn’t feeling it Post marathon) Luckily a couple of friends were still at the race and were able to pick up my award. 

The medal and whole experience was fabulous! 10/10 would run again. Just not with the balaclava. I couldn’t breathe when it was over my mouth and it would fog up my glasses if it was above my nose. #neveragain


When I got home I realized my time was my bib number. Spooky! Going to go buy lottery tickets today. Yeah. 

Celebrating 3rd AG with some hamms. 




Sunday we ran the November Project 13x1 relay.

This year we had only 6 runners so we decided to each run 2 miles and an extra quarter at the end. 

We finished in a collective 1:30:45 which is 4 min faster than our PB from last year. Teamwork = dream work. 


Poor relay handoff form. lol. We could shave seconds off if we practiced handoffs more. 

Mile 1 was 6:35. I was happy with it. I wore my Aliphine beanie to channel her speed. 

Mile 2: 6:28. Paced better the second one.  The final  quarter I ran in 79 seconds. Woof. How the hell do people run that pace (faster) for 26.2 miles?


It was a fun weekend with great people!

What’s next?

Focusing on rebuilding post marathon. 

Hustle up the 875 {Hancock}

Atlanta half marathon

Shamrock shuffle