Big Push to the Finish

I’ve done pretty good with my 2011 New Year’s Strategic Plan. (What, you only have resolutions? Well, pshaw… I’ve got a whole plan. P.S. You love me and my nerdy ways.) I’ll save the full recap for the month of December, but all in all, goals are being reached. “Be healthy. Be happy. Grow.” Not bad for a year’s work. (Or a gym’s mission statement, but whatevs…)

That said, I could use a big push to help me finish the year strong so I’ve decided to add a few sub-goals to October.

1.  #NoProOcto© – Per Eating Rules’ suggestion, I’ve pledged to go through October without any processed food. This means I’ll have to find substitutes for my Fiber1 bars and Hershey sauce, but overall, I think this is a diet (and by diet, I mean selection of food, not restriction of food) that shouldn’t be too hard to follow. For me the definition of “processed” is anything I can’t make in my kitchen. (Ex. Fiber1 bars with their corn syrup deliciousness out. Outpost fresh granola made of oats, dried cranberries and all-natural peanut butter in.)

To start, I’m only allowing myself one exception – diet coke.  I recently tried to quit soda and just can’t. Sure, this probably proves that soda is the thing I need to focus my attentions on, but I don’t want to fail in the first week. Instead, I will try my best to cut back and at the most allow one per day.

2.  Hopefully #1 will lead to more blogging as I report in. If you don’t hear from me here, here, or here, feel free to harass and make sure I’m on track. Things should get interesting as we get closer to trick-or-treating time.

3.  Under the “be happy” category, I’m going to spend time this month sloughing off the unnecessary bullshit that surrounds me. I have forced Randy to indulge Weepy Maggie way too many times over the last couple of months. If I have time (after completing the 8,000,000 flowers I need to get ready for this) I’ll blog about this, too.

4.  Do I need to make another goal to rid myself of unnecessary punctuation in my life? Jeez, there’s a lot in this post! Nah.

So stay tuned. Should be an interesting month!

Running is the New Black

In recent weeks I have found myself motivated by the athletic challenges my friends have undertaken. Meghan just finished her second half marathon (after just learning to run over the last 18 months…dang girl!). Mandi signed up for a half marathon that will not only get her into great shape but also help her raise funds for a good cause. Nicole is a running goddess whose Facebook page tells me she does 5+ miles every morning “just cuz”. Finally, Erin is doing a race that requires running through a field of live wires! (Ok, that’s too much…)

If they can do it, I can do it, right?! Right! Randy and I had already signed up for the Warrior Dash this fall, but hearing about what my friends are doing spurred us to also sign up for the Rock N’ Sole 10K in July. Seeing as I have yet to run a full 5k, this will be quite the challenge. My hope is I can not only do that, but get ready for the Hot Chocolate 15k this fall. That race sounds like a great challenge…anything ending with an endless supply of chocolate and a weekend in Chicago is right up my alley!

I’ve had a love-hate relationship with running for the past two years or so. Sometimes it’s the legs; sometimes it’s the (lack of) lung capacity, but I just can’t seem to do it. I had a major break-thru two Fridays ago when on a whim (and with the help of a pop culture podcast, Paula Deen making desserts on tv, and a wall of windows watching traffic…ah, the simplicity) I ran for 20 minutes straight! Woo hoo, 20 minutes! Now this may not sound that amazing to my marathoning friends, but for a girl who had been doing five minutes run, one minute walk…this was fantastic.

This was also on a treadmill. I went outside yesterday and struggled the whole way. My legs felt heavy. My lungs couldn’t get a deep breath. And then I realized…it’s all in my head. I played tricks with myself the whole way… (oh, look at how fast the river is flowing…boy, I sure don’t agree with this podcast on the pretentiousness of all foodies…wow, I’ve gone far, surely I can make it to that tree…) I made it about 1.2 miles before I took my first 30 second break. It took 2 more really short breaks to get to 2.1 miles.

Slow, but steady progress. That’s what I need to work on. Randy gave me my own Garmin as a birthday present, so I’ll have all the facts and figures behind my workouts now. I can’t wait to analyze and see improvements. I’m going to do a modified version of Hal Higdon’s training programs to prepare for the actual race day, but I really hope to get to the place Nicole is at-I want to run because it’s fun.

I’d love your suggestions for items for the iPod, motivational web sites or anything else that will help me get through this. Stay tuned for progress (and let’s be honest…probably lots and lots of grumbling) along the way.

Ode to a Delicious Friday Night

Oh, Coquette Café. Where have you been all my life? You, with your perfect linens and pretty waitstaff. Your favorable wine list and the funny little breads. And your desserts…oh, your desserts.

Last Friday night, the man introduced me to a new (to me) restaurant in the Third Ward, Coquette Café. Interestingly enough, it does have new ownership. Randy said it hasn’t changed at all, so I take that to mean it has been heaven all along.

At 8pm we managed to walk right in and be sat at a table with a view into the dance class across the street (dinner and a show!). Our waitress was knowledgeable, but unobtrusive. We started with a glass of wine, Soupe à l’Oignon (that’s French Onion Soup with Melted Gruyère Cheese for y’all non-Francophiles out there) and a piece of bread that was served in a paper bag. Yeh, I don’t get that either. The bread was a little dry, but the soup was outstanding. There were enough onions in the homemade beef stock that it almost had the consistency of a stew.  The bread was the perfect size and both it and the cheesy crust allowed themselves to be cut with the soft side of a spoon so we didn’t have to slurp up the soup. (That doesn’t mean Randy didn’t. I think if his tongue was long enough, he would have licked out the bowl!)

Halfway through our main course I remembered to take pictures. I had the Casserole of Sautéed Eggplant with Tomato Concasse and Parmesan Custard that was so unbelievable I had to just stop talking. The eggplant was so rich and the custard so creamy. It was like eating a bowl of eggplant parmigana without needing a fork or knife. So delicate for such a hearty dish. Heaven.  Randy got the special of the evening, a Jamaican spiced tilapia with unique grain served risotto style and sautéed greens. While he enjoyed his meal, I think we both liked mine better.

Then it came time for dessert and I ordered the chocolate mousse, because, well, that’s what I do. Randy ordered the crème brulee. The desserts came out, I tucked into my mousse and asked Randy if I could try his. I honestly don’t think I’ve ever had crème brulee before. If there’s a chocolate option, I always go that route.

Well, holy hell, have I been missing out all these 29 years! You know how I said above that if Randy’s tongue was long enough, he’d lick his soup bowl? Well, it was only because the waitress took away the empty dish that I did not use my finger to get every last ounce of fresh vanilla bean custard or miniscule shard of burnt sugar. Oh, the burnt sugar that tasted like perfectly roasted marshmallows fresh from the fire. My eyes may or may not have rolled into the back of my head at this point.

So anyway, if you get a chance, may I recommend the delightful Coquette Café at 316 N. Milwaukee Street here in Milwaukee for a night out on the town? Or as a place to pick up a cooking class or Day in the Kitchen for your favorite person with a birthday coming up….whatever.

Legs of Steel

One of my New Year’s resolutions this year is to finish a 5k in under 30 minutes. That’s still on my list of things to do, but due to my involvement with the Belladonna bike group and my uncles’ persistence, I’m thinking that my summer goal may involve my bike instead.

I’m on week 4 of the Couch to 5k learn-to-run program. I’ve been on this week for awhile due to traveling and 800 other stupid excuses. I’ve been held up, but am still improving, so I could technically see my first race happening in May. Got any good suggestions for my 2010 inaugural race? Preferably a relaxed one with beer (or chocolate!) at the end. If that works well, there are other races I’d like to consider later on, namely the Storm the Bastille in July and Al’s Run 8k in October.

As for my bike training, I’ve got a few sessions of computraining at Crank Daddy’s under my belt. (Can we talk about this for a second? They hook your bike up to a computer with a bunch of other bikes. As you ride, everyone gets to see your stats. Even better, they display the little greyhound racers across the top of the screen, so if you’re me, you can really see how far behind the racing crazies you are. That’s fun.) I’m going to take part in their time trial for Juvenile Diabetes on March 27. I’ll be racing twice, so I fully expect my legs to give out by that afternoon.

In June, I’ve been invited to both the Trek 100 and the Miller Lite Ride for the Arts. One is with the Bella group, so I know there would be moral support, but the other is along the Milwaukee lake shore and that’s a prettier ride.  I think I’d do the 65 mile distance at either one. Anyone out there planning on doing either ride? Would you be my moral support?

The culmination of this summer’s work could happen at the 2010 DALMAC in Michigan. I tried to get out of my uncle’s invitation by asking Randy and wouldn’t you know, he’s considering it. (Have I told you what an awesome guy he is??)

So there you have it… Some potentially serious training opportunities to get me through the few warm months in Milwaukee. Which one(s) do you think I should do? More importantly, who wants to take bets as to when I give it all up and dedicate the summer to reading books and making ice cream instead?

Obligatory End-of-Year Post

 They say that what you’re doing at midnight on New Year’s Eve is what you’ll be doing the rest of the year. 364 days ago, I joined two good friends for a night of wine, food, cheesy entertainment, and most importantly, fantastic conversation. And that, my friends, IS what I did the rest of the year. There was the big event that defined my year (life), but the undercurrent of 2009 showcased what great friends and family I have. I got to know acquaintances as friends. I sat down with the Skarichs for the first time (sans funeral or wedding) since I was a toddler. One of the best nights of the year came at the hands of work buddies that plied me with spinach dip and Effen and Diet Cokes until I joined them in a game of cougar hunting. Even the likes of Facebook and Twitter have helped me stay current with my outer, outer, outer circles of friends. Best of all, I became really close with a dude who likes wine, food, cheesy entertainment, and most importantly, fantastic conversation. How ‘bout that?

My plans for tomorrow night are very similar to last year’s. Hopefully, that means 2010 will continue to be good for my relationships, too. 

So with all that said, I need to do what anybody with a blog does this last week of the year and post my resolutions for the world to see. Do I expect you to hold me to ‘em? Nah. (If you’re reading this, you know me better than that.) But I do find resolutions to be a healthy exercise. Just be glad this year’s version is just four points and not the typical strategic plan. 

1. Run a 5k in 30 minutes.
No, this doesn’t sound all that amazingly fast, but I’ve been clocked twice completing this distance and both times were 33:00. If I could actually run the whole distance, I could do this no problem. Only 366 days to get there. 

2. Host people at my house every other month.
This overarching goal will help with a handful of sub-points (please see typical strategic plan). I’ll be able to try out new recipes, need to keep the house clean(ish), and show my friends what they mean to me. I think I’m going to start with brunch in February. Who’s in? 

3. Blog once a month.
Though I sometimes worry I’m sharing too much (which happens when you’ve got a boss, an uncle, and the boyfriend reading this), but putting my thoughts down on paper is healthy for me. Now if only I could figure out a way to take it directly from my brain and put it on the internet without having to type, I’d be golden. (Please see New Year’s Resolutions 2011: create chip to link brain to computer and New Year’s Resolutions 2012: spend millions from chip invention on new wardrobe, gourmet kitchen and Tuscan villa.) For the record, this means at least once a month, not 12 times this year. Anything over the first post of the month, you should consider a bonus. You’re welcome. 

4. Do something “for the greater good” once a month.
My ADD is too strong for me to commit to any more committees or boards, but I have felt like I’m missing out on something by not doing any volunteer or advocacy work. January will be easy-got a lot of items to take to Goodwill. Do you have anything to contribute? What else should I do in 2010

HAPPY NEW YEARS!