Running on empty

Have a touch of insomnia, so I thought I'd update my blog.

Belinda flew in from San Jose a week ago Thursday. She brought some See's chocolates and mochi from my favorite mochi shop. Yes, we finished off the box by the time she left:


She also made a quilt for me, which was way cool:


We spent much of the time she was here eating. A little late night Hey Cupcake action:


And a post Marathon dinner Sunday at Parkside:

Speaking of marathon, the one this past Sunday set a bunch of PRs for me. A personal record for the slowest marathon I've ever run (5:19, 50 minutes slower than my 2009 time). A record for the number of times I had to stop to pee (7 times before mile 21). And a record for feeling the best after a long run (I was able to walk down stairs the following day). Race day was hot and humid, so fearing I would cramp up, I drank a lot of liquids. In hindsight, it was way too much liquids. After stopping for potty breaks at miles 1 and 3, I pretty much knew I had broken the seal. Good news is, I didn't cramp up. I was a little stiff-legged at the end, but no cramping. Yay! (small fist pump)

Here I am coming down the finishing stretch:



And crossing the finish line:



In bike related news, the North American Handmade Bicycle Show comes to town this weekend. Dustin and I went to the kick-off party at Mellow Johnny's and watched a couple of short movies (one on Dario P. and the other on the Rapha continental ride). Free beer, cool bikes - a good time was had by all. I was happy to see that MJ's is an Alchemy bike dealer now. And - this must be a blow to Crumpton - they're also carrying Parlee. The Parlee folks were at the party Thursday and showed off a number of nice rides, including this AC/DC inspired one:

Rewind

I'm waiting for Belinda's flight to get in from San Jose, so I thought I'd do a quick update. The last week or so in reverse...

Ron came into town last Saturday night. We had dinner at Sao Paulo - where Ron discovered that caipirinhas can be just as tasty as margaritas. Sunday morning we hit the trails at Town Lake, did the 4.7 mile loop, and then met Pete and Pablo for brunch at the Hyde Park Grill.

Speaking of Sunday, this Sunday is the Austin Marathon. As usual, I've been training like crazy. I peaked with a 14 mile run last Saturday (followed by a burger and fries at Sandy's):


I thought I had a big mouth, but here's a shot of my squirrel hoarding nuts this week. Someone should tell him that winter is over:


Then again, the squirrel isn't the only one stuffing his face. My mom sent me back to Austin recently with leftovers from our Chinese New Year meals. I'm not sure what these are called in English, but trust me, they're good. Rice stuffed with meat and mushrooms:


This is what radish cakes look like before they're sliced and heated:


And after a little pan frying:


Btw, Belinda warned me that she was bringing See's chocolates with her from California. Yum.

75

My dad turned 75 today. Kind of a big deal. The family took him out to McCormick & Schmicks for a celebratory meal. They were nice enough to commemorate the day for us:


And to seat us in a private room:


Later, at home, my brother had picked up a nice tiramisu birthday cake from the Jungle Cafe, and my mom made some lucky red eggs:


Happy Birthday!

Hare, hare

Happy Lunar New Year to all. It's the year of the rabbit (or as they say in French Canada, lièvre).


And what better way to start off the new year than with music, drinks, and dessert at House Wine:


Followed by a little snow: