1st Annual Hokie Half Marathon (10 minute PR)

In retrospect, my conversation with Michelle the Friday evening before the race about my goal time of 1:40:00 is almost comical.  However, before I get there I want to explain how I arrived at one of, if not the, best races I've ever run.

When I first heard that there was going to be a Blacksburg half marathon this fall, I was pretty excited about the idea of thousands of Hokies running together through the streets of Blacksburg and what an awesome backdrop downtown Blacksburg would provide for a finish (missed opportunity #1).  Alas, it was not to be but the race that Runabout Sports put together was phenomenal and an excellent first annual event!  Michelle and I have arrived at the conclusion that we prefer events or "experiences" for gifts from one another because they seem to be more memorable than an item with a finite lifespan.  (Perhaps this is why people give jewelry?)  It's for this reason that I asked to run the event for my birthday in a few weeks...I just lucked out with when they scheduled the run and received my birthday present a little early!

My "training" like always wasn't stellar leading up to the race or should I say more specifically my training wasn't specific?  Now, often in my "race reports" I avoid using the word race and prefer to say run but when I lined up two Sundays ago, I had every intention of racing.  I digress.  Because of the lack of specificity in my training regime and the fact that I had run Iron Mountain 30 miler only 15 days prior, I wasn't optimistic for a PR but thought given the right conditions I may be able to have an okay day.  Additionally, the fact that I was familiar with the course gave me added confidence that if I was having a good day and the legs felt good, I would know where to push it and where to ease off.

Training by month leading up to the race.

Training by week leading up to the race.

I didn't do much running the week leading up to the race but managed to get in an easy run out in Pandapas on Tuesday followed by a quick 5 mile run Wednesday evening.  They were calling for  absolutely perfect running weather Sunday morning, in the mid. 50's for the race, and I knew that given the right conditions I could run sub-1:40.  I didn't bother crunching the numbers using a pace calculator but knew that I need to run somewhere in the 7:30's to run sub-1:40 based on my previous half marathon PR of 1:42 back in 2011, at the Charlotte Half Marathon.  Saturday was relatively low key for us.  We spent most of the day at Michelle's parents watching the embarassment that was the Virginia Tech vs. ECU game before heading back to Blacksburg for packet pickup at the Virginia Tech Inn.

Packet pickup was rather painless and Runabout Sports made an effort to put together a small expo at the Inn for race participants.  I tried on a pair of Hoka Stinson's and felt like I was wearing moon boots (they were awesome!) and may be curious to give them a try come winter when I begin putting in big miles for Umstead.  They also had the usual variety of nutrition and other "running expo" products folks would want to pick up for a race.

Michelle and I at packet pickup.

Following the expo, Michelle and I had our friend Shannon over for a pasta dinner.  Michelle, as always, did an awesome job preparing a delicious pasta dish with tomato basil sauce and chicken.  Post dinner, I pinned my number to my shorts like I always do.  I neglected to read the instructions in our bag about placing the bib near the stomach or chest area, which turned out not to be an issue but could have put a damper on my experience if my time had not been recorded, thankfully it was.  It wasn't until later that I learned the timing system was not the "standard" mat timing that goes across the start/finish line that you see at most race but rather a weird "aiming" type system that uses two large rectangles aimed at runners' chest/stomach to record runners chips as they cross the line.  We made an effort to get to bed early and get a good night sleep but I started reading on Sabrina Moran's blog and read this quote that I felt compelled to share with Michelle:

"Few men during their lives come anywhere near exhausting the resources dwelling within them. There are deep wells of strength that are never used." Richard Byrd

I repeated this quote over and over during the race on Sunday knowing that I often fall victim to self-sabotage.

The best part about doing a local race is being able to sleep in your own bed.  Adding to the awesomeness of close-to-home races is the bonus of not having to wake up 3 or 4 hours before the start of the race to get to the race location but rather leaving an hour before the race is scheduled to start.  We woke up around 5 and had a quick breakfast,  I decided to deviate from my normal banana-honey-peanut butter bagel, and opted instead for greek yogurt, banana, and a cup of coffee.  We left the house just after 6 and arrived at the race start a short ten minutes later, not bad for a commute to a race.

We made the necessary stop upon arriving at the giant row of porta-pottys, I have to give them credit here - there were plenty of porta-pottys for the number of runners, and then played the "hurry up and wait game" as we waited around for the race to start. Around 6:45, I headed back to my car to drop off my jacket and head out for a quick warm-up, which I think is one reason why I had a really great race.

I arrived back at the start just a few minutes before the gun was scheduled to go off, just in time for the national anthem, and searched for Michelle and Shannon to wish them good luck with no success.  After a few minutes of searching, I had to give up and found a spot maybe 20 or 30 feet back from the start line.  I knew going into the race, it was blatantly obvious at the start, how many folks didn't know how to line up appropriately for their predicted time (missed opportunity #2, coral start).  From a logistics standpoint, the location of the race start wasn't bad because it provided ample parking and convenient location, and while the Corporate Research Center (CRC) isn't an eyesore it isn't exactly picturesque nor does it represent Blacksburg very well.  Although I didn't mind the start location, if the course changes in the future, hopefully it does, we wouldn't be missing anything.  The race started on a slight uphill headed toward the 460 business/460 bypass junction, which was a good way to get legs going but again wasn't really anything special scenery wise.  The course then made a right onto South Main St/460 Business, which is where my issues with the course selection began (just before the 1 mile marker).

The participant limit was set at 3000 entrants, which was significantly more than they had register (~1200) but it supports their decision for including South Main St. as a significant portion of the race, roughly 2.5 miles.  However, of all the roads in the Blacksburg/Christiansburg area it is by far the ugliest and least scenic of roads not to mention the poor condition of the road surface as a result of the harsh SW VA winters and copious amounts of road kill (missed opportunity #3).  I found a group of runners that were running my pace and locked onto them for the next few miles ticking off 6:55, 7:04, 6:53, and 6:52 splits for the first four miles.  The Christiansburg High School marching band was at the New River Valley Mall (mile 3), which gave me a nice little lift as I had a brief moment of doubt in my ability to maintain my current pace for the remainder of the race.

When I hit the start (although technically the end mile ~6) of the Huckleberry Trail, I opted not to take water and continue toward Blacksburg locking onto folks in front of me and slowly chasing them down.  I was feeling really good until mile 7 when I began wondering whether I had gone out too fast but did my best to stay with the folks I was around and pushed through a rough patch, only adding 8 seconds on the next mile from 6:49 (mile 6) to 6:57 (mile 7).  The next few miles felt pretty good and because the territory was familiar I think I had a little advantage to push hard on the rollers that I've run countless times during training.  I picked up a GU just before mile 9 and a cup of Gatorade but decided against taking the GU because I didn't have any water with me to wash it down.  As I approached Tech Center Drive running up the biggest hill on the course, I knew that after I reached the top I would be able to hit my goal of sub-1:40 even if I ran 9 min./mi. for the last 4 miles but returned to the Richard Byrd quote above and thought about what I had left in the tank.  I got a boost at the top of the hill when I spotted Jordan Chang at the intersection of the Huckleberry and Tech Center Drive who gave me some words of encouragement.  I then began the only section of the course with two way traffic, passing the eventual winner of the race going the other direction (3 miles ahead of me)(missed opportunity #4, the Huckleberry Trail is really too narrow for two way traffic).

A group of three or four of us stayed together and pushed the pace as we reached the end of the Huckleberry Trail section (really the beginning mile 0.0) running my final sub-7 minute mile of the race before making a U-turn onto Preston Street, what I thought was the last hill on course.  I could tell I was beginning to fade as I approached the 11 mile mark.  I found another gear when I hit the short 1/2 mile section where the trail had two-way traffic and I was passing lots of runners going the opposite direction, most of whom provided words of encouragement as we were spread pretty far apart.  Unfortunately, quite a few of the folks were completely oblivious to the fact that people were coming the other direction and were running on both sides of the cones going toward downtown which didn't slow me down but made me expend extra energy to tell them to get out of the way.  Mile 12 was desolate.  The d-shaped loop only has one building along it and is mainly empty fields, which made it drag on forever.  At the end of the loop right before making a right back onto Tech Center Drive there was an awesome band just in the middle of nowhere jamming out some good country tunes.  Finally, I made what I thought was the final turn into the CRC only to see a beast of a hill ahead that I had no idea was on the course.  This hill absolutely destroyed me.  The one advantage to this unnecessarily large hill at the end of the race was a downhill finish.  Gravity was pretty much the only thing moving me forward at that point.  I watched the clock as I came down the hill and was happy to finish under 1:32.

One awesome outcome of the race was having the fastest Strava time for the Huckleberry trail, even if I do only have it for a short time. 

Overall, I placed 38th out of 1125 half marathon finishers (despite what it says above, 3 folks times were not recorded).

I was pretty ecstatic with my finish time and knew that I had left most of it out there on the course.  After receiving my medal and finisher shirt, I headed directly to my car and grabbed my jacket and phone so I could meet up with Michelle's parents who were on their way to watch her finish (missed opportunity #5, the shuttle buses bringing spectators to the finish were stuck where the Huckleberry crossed Tech Center Drive and most folks wound up having to walk).  I also grabbed my Vuvuzela to encourage runners on the course.  Another awesome thing about a race like this is that it brings out lots of folks in the community.  I was able to chat with a professor from last semester, who embarrassingly beat me by a little over two minutes, and one of my current professors and say hello to their families.

I eventually met up with Michelle's parents and we were able to see Michelle and Shannon finish, both of whom looked like they were having a great time!

Michelle and Shannon enjoying the downhill finish!

Shannon, Michelle, and I at the finish (Vuvuzela in hand)!

We grabbed some of the post race food before heading toward the car and lane stadium to grab some finisher photos!

Michelle and I infront of Lane Stadium.

Cindy, Marvin, and Michelle.

Overall, the race was an excellent first annual event that has tremendous potential to be a "must-do sell out" type of race.  That being said, there are a few things in my opinion that need to change for us to consider doing it again next year.

1. Michelle and I both agree, and most of the folks that we talked to after the race, that the BIGGEST missed opportunity was lack of coordination with the Blacksburg Brew Do, a craft beer festival at the First & Main Shopping District.  The Brew Do was held on Saturday, and perhaps James and the organizers wanted to stay away from associating with a beer festival but scheduling the race the day after certainly prevented folks from attending one or the other.  I would like to see a partnership where participating in the race gets you free entry into the festival or coordinate the finish into the festival.  At a very minimum, schedule the events the same day so that folks are not forced to choose between one or the other.  Perhaps it will convince even more folks to participate.  I think it's also important to note the constraints the football season places on the scheduling of the race, which means the weekend the race falls on will likely fluctuate as a result.
2. The course leaves something to be desired - I think James and the folks at Runabout did a great job for a first annual event but considering how often Main Street is shut down for festivals in Blacksburg (Steppin' Out, Summer Solstice, etc.) I don't see why something similar could not have been arranged.  It really comes down to establishing a course that is memorable and promotes a sense of community where non-particpants are inclined to come out and cheer on the runners.  Additionally, the parking location for spectators and shuttle arrangement left folks stuck on buses and missing their friends' finish.
3. Registration cost was too high for early registrants and compared to other comparable races - The lowest registration cost for a runner was $80, which is on par with a registration fee of early registrants for a full marathon.  I think it comes down to establishing expectations.  Personally, I would expect to pay in the neighborhood of $50 to $65 for a small town, and first annual, half marathon.  By charging $80, for me at least, Runabout sports set the expectations very high and while I was happy with the event I could've done without two-shirts and a $15 finishers medal.  Yeah, it's neat but it should be an option to reduce cost for participants who aren't really interested in all of the extras.
4. Shirts were not true to size - I heard this across the board.  The long sleeve shirts that participants received at packet pickup were a size small for both men and women.  For me, I didn't really mind because I have a pile of race shirts but for Michelle and Shannon, who wound up with 3/4 length sleeves which were supposed to be long sleeve and shirts that revealed their navels, it was disappointing.  This was obviously outside of Runabout Sports control but was disappointing none-the-less. 

Overall, the race was awesome, and we had a great time.  I think the event has huge potential to be a SW VA "must do" race, but there were a few missed opportunities that I'm sure James and the folks at Runabout Sports are aware of.

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Downtown Sundown 5K - Race Report

Short version:

• I went a little overboard on glow sticks at the Dollar Tree the day before the race
• The race started at 8:30PM
• I ran a new PR of 19:50 (clock time) with mile splits of 6:37, 6:26, and 6:18 respectively.
• I placed 9th overall (out of 231) and 2nd in the 25-29 age group.
• I had FUN!

Long version:

I was back and forth on whether or not I wanted to run the Downtown Sundown 5k, primarily because Michelle and I had discussed just enjoying the parent event itself, the Summer Solstice Fest. Maybe it was race registration withdraw or the thought of "missing out" as I watched everyone run by but on Monday evening I decided I wanted to run and turned in my registration at RunAbout Sports on Tuesday.  I think the last time I ran a 5k was during my undergraduate time at Tech in the 5KD (2008?!?).  My running last week was pretty low, in fact it was only three runs aside the race on Saturday so I think I was well rested.

On Friday, Michelle and I headed off to to grocery store and on our way stopped by the Dollar Tree so that I could pick up a few birthday cards.  Upon entering the store, I completely forgot why we were there because I was so distracted by their massive selection of glow-in-the-dark products.  I may have gotten a little carried away.  That's the problem with the dollar store, you think "but it's only a dollar" and then you get up to the counter and leave thinking "did I really get 20 items?" Fortunately, I didn't get that carried away and managed to keep the damage to a minimum...aside from the obligatory Harribo Gummy Bear purchase.  They get me EVERY time.  I digress.

And this wasn't even all of it.  Later on, I found a section that had three times the selection!

Sunflower Rye Bread

Saturday was relatively tame.  Michelle headed off early to get in a run with her friend Shannon, which gave me the perfect opportunity to be productive.  I spent most of the day "doing schoolwork" and by doing schoolwork I mean I was editing a video from making pizza Friday night.  At least I was productively procrastinating rather than just sitting around watching TV.  I did make a trip down to the farmers market to pick up some delicious bread. Prepare for a tangent.  I grew up loving bread. On my last and only trip to Germany as a Siemens employee, I had the privilege of traveling with a German colleague who lived in the US and professed her love for dense-hearty bread whenever she returned to Europe.  I thought it was interesting her comparison of how "most" American bread is airy and fluffy but the bread in Europe is more substantial, more of a meal than a side, kind of like a good stout beer.  I think she'd be proud because that's the type of bread I bought on Saturday.

Gillie thought the bread smelled delicious!

Although the loaf looks small, it must have weighed 2+ pounds.  Think about that.  It was delicious.  I suppose this is me professing my love for dense-hearty bread.  I guess you could say that I'm a convert.  Anyways, I always try the bread from Sweetwater Baking Co. but this is the first time I've purchased.  I don't know if I can go back.  Although, I do like making bread in the bread machine.  Right.  The race report.  Yes.  I remember now.

The only area for improvement by race management in my opinion, and this may be entirely my fault for not being more conscious, is communication of packet pickup details.  I completely glossed over the details when turning in my registration.  Fortunately, whomever is in charge of the RunAbout sports Facebook page is GREAT about replying to posts in a timely manner and that is where I found out that packet pickup ended at 7:45.  Michelle really saved me here, as she always does.  She was already at the Summer Solstice fest with some of her friends from school and swung by and picked up my race number, otherwise I would have been in a huge rush to make it by 7:45.

Run from the apartment to Downtown

I decided I would run down to the start of the race from my apartment and packed up my Nathan hydration vest with my Chacos, for after, and surplus of glow sticks.  I found Michelle a little after 8 at Cabo and pinned on my race number and headed off to warm-up.  I usually don't warm-up, mainly because in a marathon or ultra I'll be out there for hours and that happens in the first few miles but I decided with a short race that I should try to "prime" my body for the effort.

Warm-up on the Huckleberry Trail

All glow stick'd up!  Can you tell I don't take myself too seriously?

I was feeling good and excited to race, despite what I had told other people about just taking the run easy.  I wanted to see what I was capable of and what type of time I could put down but I also try to stay humble and understand that sometimes you just have off days and have to take it in stride, pun intended.  I found Michelle at the start line with some Blacksburg friends and hung out for a few minutes before finding a place near the start line.  I situated myself about 15 feet back from the start line, again mainly a humility thing, but I should've just lined up on the line as there was some initial side-stepping as a result.  And without much buildup and a simple Ready. Set. Go! we were off.

Ready.                                                              Set.           

Go!

Photo credit: Roanoke.com

Most of the first mile is along Draper Rd. heading away from Downtown and is predominately uphill.  The race sorted itself out quickly, or rather the Draper hill did, and by the first mile I was sitting within the top 15 or so and feeling comfortable (read: not feeling like I was going to barf).  I began marking people and closing each gap, giving encouragement as I came up alongside them, although I wasn't  in much of a state to talk as I was not running at a conversational pace so it was more like "Nice *gasp* Race! *gasp*"  As we made the turn onto the Huckleberry Trail, I had that feeling in my legs and I began thinking "can I sustain this?"  I think the mental gains that I have made this spring by running longer distances and off-road far outweigh the physical benefits.  The most significant of which is the ability to push through tough moments in a race.  Knowing the course well was a huge advantage as I knew exactly what to expect and prepare for around every turn.

Turning off the Huckleberry trail (~2.2 mile-ish) and making a right onto Preston, I knew there was only three more hills before the downhill to the finish along Draper.  I felt good and continued to push the pace and was able to catch, match, and pass two other runners in the last mile or so.  The whole way down Draper I was thinking "Don't. Get. Caught!" as I knew I would be kicking myself if I slipped out of the top ten for slacking near the finish.  A couple hundred meters from the finish I could hear the sound of the vuvuzela (Nice Ultra VT!) and kicked to the finish, while retrieving my glow stick wand that I had stowed in my waistline for finish photos!

Gorgeous night for a run!

I was glad to be done but surprisingly didn't feel too awful.  Michelle was there waiting for me, as always, and grabbed a few photos that capture how I really felt:

I suppose my mind was frazzled from the race or possibly in oxygen debt and completely forgot about the awards after the race.  It was not until the results were posted Sunday evening that I realized I had taken second for my age group.  I finished with a time of 19:50, which I was really pleased with especially considering I don't do speed work or track workouts.  I placed 9th overall out of 231 but the field this year was less competitive than last year where I would have been 17th with my time.  I was happiest that I didn't fade as the race went on with mile splits of 6:37, 6:26, and 6:18 for the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd miles respectively. Although, I think it helped that the last 1/2 of the race is downhill!

Downtown Sundown 5k - Garmin Data

We hung around and watched a few people finish but both of us wanted to enjoy the festival in its' entirety and what better way then to enjoy a refreshing beverage at Cabo!

Michelle and I post race at Cabo Fish Taco!

I didn't eat much after lunch because I was worried about my stomach.  Great decision!  After the race, I indulged in a wiz wit (yes, with actual cheez-whiz!) from the Cellar food truck.

I love the race shirts, which is funny because it's not anything special (i.e. a technical shirt with wicking fabric) but the colors just make it feel like summer but I did have an observation about them. Do you think the person designing them was enjoying a Bell's Oberon at the time?  The colors are almost exactly the same, despite the picture at the right.  Regardless, they're AWESOME!

It was a really fun race and I enjoyed the change from slow pace of an ultra.  Maybe next year I'll convince Michelle to run it too!

My second place age group medal!

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Where's Waldo Wednesday - 6/?/13-6/19/13

Where's Waldo Wednesday - The point of the week where more is behind than ahead and the weekend, and thus playtime, is the bright light at the end of the tunnel.  Why did I call it Where's Waldo Wednesday?  No particular reason really...other than I like alliteration and it is fun to say.  Try saying it five times fast!

A weekly (more like biweekly) series of what's new around here and other ramblings like things I found interesting on the internet this week or cool runs I did, kind of like a weekly synopsis.  Originally, I was going to do this on Sunday and call it Sunday Synopsis but then I couldn't decide between Sunday Synopsis and Sunday Summary...so I did the only logical thing and decided to write it on Wednesday?

This week's edition encompasses...ermm...June? so it's somewhat of a month in review so far.  Also, that means this post is probably WAY too long for you so you may just want to skip through to options of interest.

The Week's Happenings

Honestly, there hasn't been much going on around here the past few weeks so I really don't have a whole lot to post about.  Michelle and I have been enjoying cooking and I feel like we're finally finding our niche of what we like to prepare/cook/eat.  One observation is our gradual shift toward a more plant-based diet.  I don't really have an interest in pursuing a vegetarian or vegan diet, or labeling our eating habits for that matter but instead focusing on eating foods as close to their original state as possible.  I've persuaded Michelle to try a vegetarian diet next spring just as an experiment to see what we think of it.

1. Learning to run again.  Well.  It feels like I am at least.  The arrival of warm weather has forced me to adjust my expectations when heading out for a run.  I learned this first hand last Thursday when I went out for a longish run in the morning that left me feeling humbled, and destroyed by the end.  It was the first double-digit distance run I had attempted since TNF 50 earlier this month and I knew early on in the run it was going to be rough day.  It was apparent that skipping breakfast, aside from a yogurt, and a measly dinner the night before had put me in a calorie deficit which caused me to run out of energy quick.  Fortunately, I had received my June StrideBox a few days earlier and decided to bring along a few items from it, which without I would have been in serious trouble.  Welcome to Bonkville.  I downed one of the green citrus chews below and began to feel better within a few minutes and continued along the Huckleberry trail out to Christiansburg.  On the return, around mile 8, I was feeling empty and defeated and began to walk.  It's easy to beat yourself up when you get into one of these situations.  I was thinking to myself, "I ran 50 miles two weeks ago and now I can't do 8?"  I'd be lying if I said I was positive the entire time but I try to keep things in perspective and appreciate the opportunity of the present and kept telling myself, "if it were easy, everyone would do it" and "it's the hard days that prepare you for tough moments in life."  Eventually...I finished the run and hopped on my bike to pickup groceries and race the storm home, narrowly escaping the epic downpour!

June StrideBox contents.

Details of my tough run.

2. Enjoy the moment.  It's been a slow progression for me and I still battle daily/hourly to simply slow down and enjoy the moment.  I think as a goal oriented individual it is difficult not to look to the future and simply enjoy being in the present.  On Friday, Michelle and I enjoyed a relaxing morning before taking a picnic lunch to Bissett Park.  We enjoyed just laying around in the sun and the gorgeous weather the day had to offer. It was fantastic practice for being content with the current and not thinking about everything that "needed to be done."

 We brought Gillie along which we don't always do and really need to be better about.  It's super easy to make excuses or not want to deal with the additional effort of packing a few bottles of water for her but the payoff is huge.  She's an outside dog and to see her so happy is totally worth the extra five minutes...and the occasional constant untangling of the leash from our chairs.

3. Starlite Drive-In - Furious 6.  With the upcoming switch to digital projectors from 35mm, Michelle and I figured we needed to see a movie in a drive-in before there weren't any around anymore so on Friday evening we headed just down the road to the Starlite Drive-In in Christiansburg to see Furious 6, the sixth installment in the the Fast and Furious franchise.  They have two showings a night, with the first beginning around 8:45ish and the second immediately upon the conclusion of the first. 

 

The entrance to the drive-in.  The screen is actually on the back of the large structure with the star painted on it.

The shot above on the left is the screen, obviously this was early on before everyone else arrived which made for a clean photo opportunity.  You can either tune your radio to 90.3FM to listen via car stereo or use the speakers that you can hang on your door (above right).  We opted for the latter and decided not to put it on the side of the car because the volume was high where it was.

4. Early morning run and enjoying Blacksburg.  I was struggling to get out of bed Saturday morning, especially after Thursdays demoralizing 12 mile run.  I find that previous statement funny.  When you think about it, the fact that I have the ability to run 12 miles at a whim even if it was at roughly a 9 min and change pace is nothing to scoff.  I think we put unnecessary pressure on ourselves all the time.  Breathe.  Enjoy the moment.  I managed 8 miles and felt good for most of the run which was somewhat redeeming.

We headed toward Blacksburg to visit the farmers market and then stopped and grabbed a bite at Moe's.  Afterwards, we walked around campus and showed Shannon, Michelle's friend from Radford, some of the cool things on Tech's campus.

Michelle and Shannon at the Pylons overlooking the Drillfield.

We headed over the Hahn Horticultural gardens, which are neat but we never make the time to get over there so it was nice to see everything in bloom. We noticed immediately upon entering they were setting up for a wedding and what a gorgeous setting it made.  However, I felt bad for the folks who were going to be sitting through a wedding with the TERRIBLE gnats that would not leave us alone while we were there.  We ventured down to the little pond and checked out the tent they had set up and were in the process of decorating.

  

Lily pads in the Hahn Horticultural Garden.

5.  Foodography.  It's no surprise that I like to cook but I always take photos of the food and feel it never does the meal justice to how it actually looks on my plate.  The colors always seem to be off and the entire meal just looks kinda...blah.  I would say that I make a good effort to plate food in an exciting and visually appealing way and have been taking lots of photos trying to figure out what I think looks good.  I'm happy with how the photos below have come out and hope that they will drive me to improve, both in cook/plating and taking the photos.  I'm all ears for suggestions...and all stomach for suggestions too!

I've been a bit of a wrap addict lately.  They take practically no time to prepare, under two minutes, and I can pack lots of good tasting, and nutritionally dense, food in a non-messy portable-handheld.  They're AWESOME!!!  And they photograph well too...or at least I think so.  The chips...well...yeah.  I have tried to cut out all things in the past and I always binge or overeat on something else.  These were the Kroger brand organic sweet potato chips.  They're delicious.  The side was just some plain greek-yogurt with bananas and blueberries and a dab of agave over the top.

Why am I writing all of this?  Because when I first tried to be aware of what I was eating, or how I still feel on some days, is that it take too much effort or cost too much or yada-yada yaya.  It doesn't.  It can be quick and simple and most importantly.  Cheap.

Instructions:

1. I use the Mission brand wraps, I'm sure any will do, and put them between two wet, not damp, paper towels and put it in the microwave for 20 seconds.
2. I spread some type of hummus or spread on the wrap which helps the wrap stick to itself and keeps everything sealed, although as you can see in the photos above I need to more toward the edges.
3. Next, I place spinach down as a moisture barrier between the wrap and hummus and everything else, which I think helps if you plan to not eat it right then.
4. I have been cutting thin slivers of a red bell pepper and using a peeler to make thin shavings of carrots which give a nice texture to the wrap.
5. I put on cheese and lunch meat and then seal it up.  I've found that I like the fold the sides in method and then start rolling to get a nice burrito-like roll.

4.  Self-portrait running photos.  It's not as easy as one might think.  Especially if you want the photos to be somewhere remote along your run because then you have to haul the camera with you and that presents a whole new challenge.  I've had a Gorillapod for a few years now but rarely make the effort to use it how it's intended.  The neat flexible digits allow you to wrap it around or position your camera on almost anything which is cool in-and-of-itself.

I thought the graffiti on tunnel in the photo below would make for a cool addition but it's hardly noticeable.  Anyone have suggestions?  Granted I was using the Panasonic TS4 which is a great camera but I'm not sure I had it set properly for taking this type of photo.

I decided to try a different location, which was actually just on the other side of the tunnel but actually used the Gorillapod this time and place the camera along a fence post.

meh...so it was a valuable learning experience.  I think one thing that is neat is the opportunity for other folks to see where I run.

On Tuesday, I registered for the Summer Solstice 5K, which is a run put on by RunAbout Sports that begins at 8:30PM this Saturday.  $19 is difficult to beat for a registration fee and I think it will be really fun to run at dusk...glow sticks are provided!

Interesting Internet Findings

1. From Addict to Ultra runner Western States is this weekend, which is pretty much the Super Bowl of ultra running.  I'm a huge fan of reading memoirs and stories triumph so I thought this article was a great read (and not too long) from the 2012 winner, Timothy Olson who runs for Pearl Izumi. Read it HERE.
2. GO. OUT. and. RUN.  At least that's how this video makes me feel! 
3. Talk about a close encounter!  This is absolutely frightening!
4. It's no surprise that I love pizza and Michelle and I make it pretty often around here but there's something about having a pizza delivered to your front door...but this brings a whole new meaning to carryout or delivery! 

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