Sunday, April 8, 2012

Rising to the Occasion

This post is a few things that don't deserve their own separate post, but I thought they were entertaining enough to combine.  Hope you agree!

Long Run = A-Ok
I had a decent long run for the first time of the history of the world!  What made this run special was that I ran miles 16-19 on the track in 20:52 (which was somewhat shocking for some reason), and that I was able to complete 22 without dying or having a completely ruined day afterwards.  I get that I'm supposed to be running miles at marathon pace, but there is something miserable about running at 7:40 pace that I can't take.  It's uncomfortable but still takes forever.  No thank you.

The funniest part of this run was stopping for water at mile 20.  After about ten seconds drinking at the water fountain, the 8 year old kid in line behind me said "Hey!  I'm thirsty too!".  Clearly he didn't see I was about to die.  His sympathy for women on long runs is clearly limited.  

I also ran the last few miles just in the lululemon "ta ta tamer" bra because it got blazing hot and I couldn't take wearing my long sleeve anymore.  This thing straight up looks like a bra, with clasps in back and cleavage in front.  Orange County, you're welcome for the free show.



Stuff Regarding Hood To Coast
If you are alive and read more than zero running blogs, you might have noticed that Nuun is calling for runners to apply to be on their Hood To Coast relay.  I did it last year and it rocked.  But after a lot of waffling I decided not to apply. It was partially for stupid reasons like fear of rejection and that I've been pretty swamped lately.  But a lot of my decision is because I am certain if I got a spot, I would be taking this experience from someone who would benefit more from it than me.  Also, I spent a lot of time peeing in the woods and falling asleep in fields last year, so I'm probably doing my potential teammates a favor.

When I applied last year for the relay, I'd written my sarcastic, very small blog for 2 months and probably had 5 readers.  And the guys/gals at Nuun took a chance on me.  They've been nothing but wonderful to me in the past year, and I'm really thankful.  And I am pretty addicted to their drink - which is probably half of why I can survive long runs without massive headaches these days.  So even though I'm not applying...Nuun, this bud's for you.  I know you'll pick an amazing team.



No Self-Respecting Greek Man Would Ever Want To Marry Me

I used to post recipes on this blog.  I stopped doing this because I realized I wasn't a good enough cook to be posting recipes for people and that most of my recipes weren't unique anyways.  But this weekend, I decided maybe I could post a recipe.   I attempted to make "Tsoureki", which is a Greek Easter bread.  I also thought it would be a good way for me to talk about being Greek, because if you've ever met anyone who is Greek, you'd know they want to bring it up at any half-relevant opportunity (see Tina Fey, Jennifer Aniston, John Stamos, etc.).

I started cooking at 10 pm Saturday night and I didn't notice that the recipe said that the bread needed at least 5 hours to rise.  I wasn't about to stay up until 3 AM so I stuck the dough in the fridge and went to sleep.

This morning, I pulled the bread out of the fridge and excitedly baked it.   "Now I am really in touch with my heritage!", I thought!  "I am a domestic goddess!"

Turns out, bread doesn't rise well in the fridge.  I took the loaf out of the oven, and it had the density of a football.  Definitely not delicious.

And then the wonderful irony of an Easter bread not rising hit me.


In that moment, the baking failure became one of the most fun failures I've had in a while.  I may not have a delicious bread, but at least my 6 hours in the kitchen gave me dorky Easter humor.

Better luck next time!  Maybe one of these days I'll become a respectable cook!  And then, the recipe section of the blog will populate. Until then, all you need to know is that Nestle Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookies never fail to please.


8 comments:

  1. You're pissing me off. And you have just under 15 hours to remedy that. Rejection schmeejection. If I sent you a preview of my application so you could see how much more rad I've become in the past year, would you reconsider? Please?

    And maybe that 'brick' could be used as a doorstop? Or in a HTC application video?

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  2. I was really considering applying for HTC also, but I realized that my life is so hectic right now and maybe this isn't the year for it :) Hopefully I"ll be able to try next year!

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  3. I'm kicking myself for scheduling a September wedding. Fall races are out of the question and things like HTC are a definite no. I'm sure some people could do both, but I'm sure I'd piss off people by running off a few weeks before to run a race.

    Flat bread or no, at least you got a corny joke (my favorite kind).

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  4. OK, that it totally funny in an ironic sort of way. But then again, maybe you can classify it as a Passover food because of it's unleavened-ness

    (Though I just heard on NPR this morning when they were discussing the Maneschevitz (sp?) company and their processes, that matzo dough can sit no longer than 18 minutes before it has to be cooked according to the kosher for Passover rules).

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  5. I want to tell you that as someone who is trying for HTC for the 1st time I thank you for being generous and thinking of the others who want a shot at this experience.

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  6. Totally feel you. After looking at the stellar apps for H2C, I'm not expecting anything. So thankful to have run it last year! You were my hero running leg 5 etc! Such a stud!

    GOOD LUCK this weekend! can't wait to follow your tweets!!

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  7. How do you like the Ta Ta Tamer? It's one of the bras I am considering. I'm a chesty girl and need support!

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    1. I like it a lot but it's super pricey. I'm going to review it on the blog soon!

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