The Wonder Years

Chris and I headed to the Napa Valley yesterday to scout wedding locations, and while there we just had to stop at Bouchon Bakery for some delicious treats.

As we were approaching Bouchon, I immediately recognized the gentleman of the couple in front of us. I squeezed Chris' hand REALLY hard, to which he responded, "WHAT?"

"Look!"

There were come cyclists snacking on some treats nearby... "At their bikes?"

"No, the guy!"

"Who is it?"

"Fred Savage!"

We laughed.

I'd actually seen Fred before, frantically running around his freshman year dorm at Stanford in his pajamas, as my sister lived in the same building.

Chris spent the remainder of the day singing the Wonder Year's theme song and Thomas Keller remains a god.

Ironman Canada Training

Training for Ironman Canada officially started this week.

I realized after a not so great year of racing that I just don't motivate myself and I hired a new coach. Workouts started on Tuesday and I have jumped in with both feet.

December is going to be a not so fun month, filled with what Chris and I call "heart rate restriction" workouts, but I am excited at the possibility of a 2010 personal record, both in the half and in the full distance Ironman events.

In 2010, I am registered for the Oceanside 70.3 in March, the Vineman 70.3 in July and then Ironman Canada in August. I am also very excited for a fun half marathon in there as well, as me and two of my dear friends from high school are doing the Orange County Half Marathon in May.

I'm even more excited for our wedding sometime during 2010... but first we need to figure out when and where!

Thankful

I have always felt I have been blessed in life, but this year I feel especially blessed.

I have a wonderful, loving family. I have my health. I have a job I love, even when the hours are long.

And now I have a fiance that I cannot wait to spend the rest of my life with.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Halloween

Chris and I have created a tradition of holding a pumpkin carving contest, just the two of us, each Halloween. It gets ugly. The smack talking starts early and is brutal. This year was no exception.

I fear I lost this year, as it took FOREVER to carve my huge pumpkin, and I grew frustrated. The pumpkin walls were very thick and our little carving tools did not go all the way through. Due to my novice cleaning of the pumpkin, I essentially had to carve it twice - once on the service and then again to cut all the way through. Chris was able to carve TWO pumpkins in the same amount of time it took me to do one.

Regardless, it was a wonderful way to spend an evening, and we are still munching on four varieties of roasted pumpkin seeds.

Too bad we had ZERO visitors seeking candy on Halloween.

Speeding Killer Bears

As the weather turns cooler, Chris decided we needed to enjoy one last weekend outdoors and we headed to Yosemite this weekend for an end of season hike.

On our way into the park, there was a sign that said "Speeding Kills Bears." I constantly harass Chris for not wearing his glasses and as we passed the sign he said:

"Speeding Killer Bears?"

I burst out laughing. I thought of speeding killer bears multiple times throughout the day, and burst into laughter each time I thought of it. I had visions of black and white bears, colored like Orca whales, chasing tourists around Yosemite at speeds of 80 miles per hour.

We survived the speeding killer bears, and enjoyed two hikes, the first around the Wawona Meadow and the second to Chilnualna Falls and back.

Chilnaulna Falls was beautiful. While there was little water, the falls were still stunning.

I always enjoy our adventures, and our beast of a day trip to Yosemite and back was no exception.

Levi Leipheimer's King Ridge GranFondo

A few months ago, my friend Rangsiwan sent out an email soliciting company for a new century ride in Santa Rosa hosted by none other than Levi Leipheimer. I've been looking forward to it, not only for high caliber event, but because we had all decided to make a weekend out of it and had rented a house in Monte Rio, just outside of Guerneville on the Russian River.

What a great way to spend a weekend - a challenging long ride, friends and lots and lots of delicious food. We even got to meet Levi Leipheimer.

While we were standing in the registration line waiting to turn in our release forms, the man behind us challenged us to game of count the Levi look-alikes and I immediately spotted a great candidate. Ha! It was Levi himself.

Levi is incredibly tiny, and incredibly kind. He was kind to us, even as Chris chided him into completing registration forms.

As we traveled the GranFondo course, we heard many additional stories of Levi's kindness.... visits to school children, donations to local schools, organizations and emergency services.

While the GrandFondo was a challenging ride, it was the most organized century I have ever had the pleasure of participating in. There were emergency medics everywhere, the volunteers were plentiful and the rest stops were well stocked. It was also a lot of fun, particularly for the first 20 or so miles when you had to opportunity to ride in a true peloton, before the masses spread out.

The best part of the event - time with Chris and a weekend with friends.

And, as an added bonus, on the way home, we discovered a fabulous pumpkin patch in Petaluma with a corn maze! FUN.

Drunken Figs

My mother sent me a recipe a few days ago for a 'runners breakfast pudding' that I knew I just had to try. I'm always looking for new foods on which to carbo load before a long workout, as I have long grown tired of oatmeal.

My mom found this recipe for Soy Milk Arborio Rice Pudding with Poached Figs in Food and Wine. It is quite good.

I used regular non-fat milk, as I didn't have any soy milk in the house and it worked just fine. As someone with a bit (OK, not a bit, a HUGE) sweet tooth, I recommend adding a tablespoon or two of sugar to the rice pudding right at the end to sweeten it up a bit. (Note that this may not be necessary if using soy milk, or if you are not a sugar fiend like me.)

SOY MILK ARBORIO RICE PUDDING WITH POACHED FIGS (Serves 4)

Ingredients

FIGS
1/4 cup ruby port
2 tablespoons sugar
Four 3-inch-long strips of orange zest
5 cloves
1 bay leaf
8 fresh figs, stemmed

PUDDING
Pinch of salt
1 cup water
1/2 cup arborio rice
2 cups plain soy milk
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Poach the figs: In a medium nonstick skillet, combine the port with the sugar, orange zest, cloves, bay leaf and 1 cup of water and bring to a boil. When the sugar dissolves, add the figs, stem ends up, and simmer over low heat until the figs are almost completely tender, about 20 minutes. Add 1/4 cup more water as needed if the liquid gets too syrupy. Discard the orange zest, cloves and bay leaf.

2. Meanwhile, make the pudding: In a medium saucepan, bring the water to a boil with the salt. Add the rice and cook over low heat, stirring often, until most of the water has been absorbed, about 12 minutes. Stir in 1/3 cup of the soy milk and cook, stirring, until it is absorbed, about 3 minutes. Continue adding the soy milk 1/3 cup at a time and stirring constantly until it is absorbed between additions; after the soy milk is absorbed, the rice should be creamy and tender. Stir in the honey and vanilla.

3. Spoon the rice pudding into bowls. Top with the figs and some of the poaching syrup and serve right away.

Make Ahead: The poached figs can be refrigerated in their syrup overnight. Reheat gently, adding a bit more water as needed. The rice pudding can be refrigerated for up to 2 days. Reheat gently, adding more soy milk as needed.

Notes: One Serving 337 cal, 3 gm fat, 0.6 gm sat fat, 69 gm carb, 5 gm fiber.