Race Report: Run for Central Park 4 Miler

Posted on July 17, 2010 by threlkeld

Hot.

So hot.

It was hot.

I was hot.

It’s a good thing I went watchless today because I would have been discouraged indeed by my splits. Although I have to say I’m getting better at guesstimating my capabilities in hot weather. I figured I’d be lucky to run 7:30s today and that’s about what I ran, coming in at 30:05.

I barely did a warmup today. What was the point? Some dynamic stretches, three minutes of jogging and there you go. I was in Corral 2 today (red bib), which was disappointing, but it was a big race so I wasn’t surprised. I decided to run mile 1 like a hard tempo and see how I felt by mile 2. I picked it up a little, but, wary of the effect that mile 3 typically has on me, not too much.

Mile 3 would kill me anyway. I know this because I spent most of the mile trying to catch up with Harriers teammate Addy (whom I would meet, along with my other Harriers AG cohort, Susan, at a post-race Harriers shindig about an hour later). I caught her at mile 3, passing her at the water stop. And then promptly cratered at the crest of the hill heading into mile 4. She passed me and went on to open up a 1 minute gap. Either she was picking things up to a furious pace or I died in that mile. I suspect it was the latter.

Nevertheless, I scored again (third) for the 40+ women’s team category, helping to place us in 8th today. I don’t think the under-45s came out today or we would have placed higher (although I wouldn’t have placed at all). Again I’ll say that running for team points is a motivator that I like having. And now I regret the fact that I’ll probably be doing a lot less racing as I start marathon training. Oh, well. Can’t have everything.

I was good for 9th in my AG, which out of 145 is not terrible, especially considering how bad I am at racing in hot weather.

I met about 30 or so of my teammates afterward, all of them pleasant individuals. 47 glasses of water later I still feel dehydrated. So I’ve moved on to beer. I expect to pass out soon.

Tomorrow is the first day in a long while in which I have no responsibilities. Anything I do tomorrow is optional. This includes getting out of bed. But I’ll probably do at least that. Moreover, on Monday morning at 9 AM I don’t have to join my IBM team status call. Because I don’t work there anymore. Not that the call itself was so terrible. It’s the fact that on that call every week, the coming five days of Sisyphean to do’s would be writ large, filling me with dread, resentment, despair — and a shitload of tension would further compound in my shoulders, neck and back.

My freelance writing schedule is very light next week, something I have deliberately arranged so that I at last have time to get back to my running-specific writing projects. These have been the neglected middle child of my work life lately and it’s bothered me to feel that I’ve lost the momentum I had about a month ago. But there are only so many hours in the day and I frequently ran out of them over the past few weeks.

Next week I have maybe 10-15 hours of freelance work to worry about — the workload the past month has averaged 50-60. Hallefuckinglujah.  I’ve got a massage scheduled for Thursday morning. A Houston Hopefuls update and work on a Running Times piece, plus finally getting to the Mini 10K gems. I may go see the new Predator movie…in the middle of a weekday! And running all week.

Oh, I’ll be busy. But it’s going to be fun busy. I don’t remember the last time I felt this happy about the arrival of Monday.

Filed under: central park, drinking, everyday life, ny harriers, racing | 11 Comments »

Recipe: Spicy cabbage salad

Posted on July 17, 2010 by threlkeld

It’s been about four years since I posted a recipe here. Believe it or not, I do cook and I cook pretty well.

Here’s a salad I’ve been living on for the past few weeks. Since it’s 8,000 degrees here most days, it’s been good to have something you can eat cold.

Spicy Cabbage Salad

Ingredients for the salad:

  • 1 medium-sized red cabbage, diced
  • 1 large red pepper, diced
  • Half a red onion (or one small one), diced
  • Large handful fresh cilantro, chopped fine
  • A quarter cup of roasted, unsalted peanuts, chopped

Ingredients for the dressing:

  • 3 T peanut oil
  • 2 T hoisin sauce
  • 3 T rice wine vinegar
  • 1.5 T garlic pepper sauce
  • 1 T sugar
  • 1 T low salt soy sauce

When shopping for a medium-sized cabbage, look for one that’s about the size of a medium cabagge. Chop up all the fresh stuff. If you hate cilantro you can substitute fresh basil. But you really should make the effort to like cilantro. When I first started eating it, it reminded me of floor cleaner. Then I started to like it. Now I can’t imagine living without it. People can change.

Make the dressing and mix it well so the oil and vinegar are emulsified (now are you impressed?). A tiny whisk is good for this. Failing that, find an old dressing bottle and shake the hell out of it (with the top on).

Throw everything in a bowl, mix it up and let it sit in the fridge for an hour for the flavors to meld. Eat.

Note: If you want to make this a complete meal nutritionally, you can add cooked shrimp, cubed chicken or, if you really hate yourself, tofu.

I don’t know how many calories this has, but it’s not many. This also makes a fabulous side salad with Chicken Gai Yang. Pair with: either a decent India Pale Ale or a Pinot Grigio. Rebels might try a Reisling or Sancerre.

Filed under: eating | 3 Comments »