Skiing Snowbird - Thatcher turns 30

Sunday was Thatcher's 30th birthday.  We had planned a day of skiing at Snowbird to ring in 30 and have a relaxing and fun day on the mountain.  It was forecasted to rain in the city so we knew this meant snow in the mountains.  

Only problem was, it was really overcast, foggy, and snowy in the mountains.  Snow is good.  Fog is rough.  But we decided to enjoy the day and take it easy despite the conditions.  

The sun came out for about.. 10 minutes.  Long enough to take this picture.  

About 20 minutes later it was snowing again.  And then it was graupeling ( a new term to me )  It is a mix between snow and hail, something I have never seen before, it looked and felt like hail, but it was not ice and it smooshed into snow after you touched it.    While it was pretty painful to ski in, it did result in fresh snow.  And some great skiing conditions. 

After a day of skiing, we headed back down to the city.  The drive up and down is only about 30 minutes each way and it is a beautiful drive.  It is amazing how you can be in a beautiful city, get in your car and drive 30 minutes and be on a ski mountain.   I made Thatcher pull over to snap some photos at least 10 times.  

After a day of skiing, we were both graving something carby and hearty.  Thatcher is an easy guy to please, and for his birthday dinner, he wanted Charlie Chow's, the dragon/mongolian grill by his house.  Noodles and beer and he was a happy guy.  And the cheapest birthday dinner ever ;)

Happy Marathon Monday!

You can't write a running blog

 and not celebrate Marathon Monday.

Good luck to all the runners out there!  What an amazing year for everyone running, and watching, and helping today.  I am wearing my Boston Strong shirt I bought last year to help out the One Fund and will be there in spirit.  My marathon is in 12 days so I think it's fair to say I understand (on a slower slacker level) what it's like to spend so much time training (through a really tough winter), so many runs, so many hours, so many ice baths, all for one run. 

I wanted to share this little video my friend Max, who is running the Boston Marathon today, put together.  Featuring runners from all over the country, including yours truly on a little run in Utah right in the beginning ;) 

Happy Running and Good Luck Runners!!

Saturday in Utah- Living Room Rocks Hike and Great Food

Sorry for the lack of posts this week/weekend.  After getting back from Ohio I suffered through the weekend with a sore throat, stuffy nose, headaches, body aches, and a lot of nyquil and advil.  Before we talk running (or lack there-of due to being sick), I wanted to finish up my trip recap. 

Because the weekend was truly the highlight of the trip.

Saturday morning,  I decided to make some poached eggs with a super lemony/less buttery hollandaise.  

On some fresh toast with some rosemary-  Amazing way to start any day.

After breakfast, we headed back to the University of Utah to stop in the bookstore for some Utah stuff, and then go hiking at the mountain/hiking area behind the University.

The weather was gorgeous, mid 70s, sunny, and simply beautiful.  I was so excited to wear  shorts again.  We were so lucky to have such a fantastic day to hike.  We started up a trail, in hopes to find the peak where the "living room rocks" are that Thatcher had heard about. 

After a steep hike, lots of incline and a high altitude I am NOT used to, we reached the peak and living room rocks.  There are a bunch of rocks scattered around that are assembled to look like furniture:  tables, sofas, and seats- even with armrests.  Really cute area with a beautiful view of the school and the city.  We ate lunch that we brought and enjoyed a beer with a view.  

Utah is so beautiful.  I have never heard anything about Utah, and never thought twice about it.  I regarded it as one of those "crazy land locked states" I could never live in.

But let me tell you, those mountain make up for the lack of oceans.

And that is coming from a marine science major....

Who loves fish and scuba diving...

(apparently there is a huge scuba crowd out there.. will explain later)

After our hike, we came back, showered, and got dressed to go have a delicious dinner at a place Thatcher could not stop talking about.  It was a sushi place called Takashi, and considering the fact that I could eat sushi three meals a day, every day, I was pumped.  I wore a new aqua skirt from H&M, a white top (not the best option but needed something to go with this in my limited suitcase), and new navy blue heels. 

Spring outfit, spring colors, and a beautiful sunny day. 

The grass was green, flowers everywhere, trees in full bloom, just another fantastic day in Utah.  Connecticut is still brown and cold but Utah is right on point with spring. 

Takashi always has a long wait, and does not take reservations, so we put our name in and grabbed a martini (or two) at the martini bar next door.  Espresso martini for the reboot I needed after the long hike and the time change. 

Finally we sat down at Takashi.  We sat at the sushi bar and ordered a pork belly appetizer (to die for), a few sushi rolls, and some uni (sea urchin) for dessert :)
Paired with hot sake with a splash of plum wine, and it was a fantastic and delicious meal. 

After Takashi, Thatcher wanted to check out the new downtown place called Beer Bar that he kept referring to as the MOFY Bar (apparently it is owned by the character who plays Phil from Modern Family).  It is a german style place with a menu of sausages, sauces, and fries, TONS of beer, and beer cocktails.

I ordered the "Dark and Stoutly" 

 (A dark and stormy with stout beer instead of ginger beer)
And was pleasantly surprised as how delicious this concoction was.
Need to bring this back to the east coast with me....

Next door is Bar X (they are connected through a door inside) where they make more fabulous and fresh mixed drinks.

We were too full for food, so we vowed to go back another time to try out their german style sausages we have heard so much about (and we did Monday).
 Another fantastic day in Salt Lake City.

Utah, you impress me more and more each day with your beautiful views, clean city, friendly people, and amazing restaurants :)

Friday- 13 mile run around Salt Lake City and Liberty Park

Friday was another gorgeous day in Salt Lake City.  Again the weather was sunny, high 60's to low 70's.    And again, Thatcher had to work most of the day.  A full day to myself... what to do.  

Well I am really bad at relaxing and really good at keeping busy.

I am starting to taper for my Marathon on May 4^th.  I had just run my 20 miler the weekend before, and was going to attempt a 12-15 mile run this weekend. 

The problems with running in Salt Lake City, or Utah in general is:
A:  I am not used to the altitude-  Harder to catch your breath out here

B:  I am not used to the mountains.  We have hills at home, rolling hills, but I am not used to running straight up and then straight down.

C:  It was really warm this weekend- I had been training throughout the winter in very cold temperatures.  My body was not used to the sunny 70 degrees that was forecasted for Friday.

 

Because I had A, B, and C against me, I decided to stick with a flat route.  The only way to do that is to run the city blocks or find a park.  I did both.  I did some research and found a park called Liberty Park about two miles from the apartment.  My plan was to run 2 miles to the park (stopping to buy a Gatorade somewhere) run 9 miles at the park, and then run 2 miles back to the apartment. 

I wore a pair of biking shorts, a tank top, my compression socks, my newtons, and some sun screen.  I headed out and bought a Gatorade at a local convenience store.  I don’t like to drink super sweet gartorade while running, but my NUUN tabs were at home and I knew with the heat that Gatorade was the better option over water.

When I got to the park, I was stunned.  It was runner's paradise.  There were several “tracks” that went around the park, a mulch path for runners, grass, and two cement sidewalks for runners, walkers, rollerbladers, or bikers.  I switched from the mulch track to the cement track to the grass track.  It was really nice to have the different terrains (oh, and all flat!) -- The track around the park was roughly 1.5 miles.  This worked PERFECTLY for my 1.5 mile running and 1.5 minute walking.  Ran a lap, walked a minute with my Gatorade, set it down, and repeat.  There was also some shady parts around the track, water fountains everywhere (even doggy ones!) and several bathrooms around the park.  Runner's paradise indeed.

I finished my nine miles, all while taking in this gorgeous park.  A big pond with boats, tennis courts, pavilions, benches everywhere, fields, an aviary, bocce, horseshoes, volleyball, you name it.  There were people everywhere, dogs everywhere, and everyone out enjoying the day.  It was one of those runs that just makes you happy to be outside, and reminds you why you run.   This will be a spot I absolutely come back to run, visit, and enjoy the park with Olive.  

At mile 11 (9 on the track) I left the park and headed back towards the apartment.  I was feeling pretty tired and ready to be done, but I think this was mostly due to the heat I was not used to.  I finished my 13.01 at a 9:53 pace, which included my walk breaks.  I was pretty happy with the time that has been consistent with my other long runs.  Consistent pace even with the altitude change and heat? Not bad Katie. 

At this point, I had successfully trained in all types of conditions.  Sun and heat, bitter cold, wind, rain, and even altitude.  I had gotten to the important 20 miler, and I finally feel really ready for this marathon.

The one thing I realized, was that I was going to need some better warm weather gear.  I was going to need some quality shorts for my marathon, that would wick and wouldn’t ride up, and I was going to need a running hat that would wick away the sweat while keeping the sun off my face.   And while I am at it, maybe a fun new tank top to celebrate the occasion ;) 

Once back at the apartment, I hopped in the shower, got dressed, and met Thatcher for a late lunch.  Even though it was quite warm out, he had Ramen on the brain, and who am I to say no to a bowl of noodles?  We went to Naked Fish, a few blocks from Thatcher’s apartment and I ordered a bowl of classic Ramen and a glass of refreshing white wine.  After lunch, we headed to Lululemon to pick out a pair of marathon shorts.

This was not as easy as I thought.  Most of their shorts are  INSANELY short, and made for girls with twigs for legs.  I wanted something a little longer with a little more room for the thighs.  After about 30 minutes and 5 shorts, I finally settled on this pair.   The length of the shorts was perfectly, the legs were roomy, and the band was seamless and really comfortable.  They even have a pocket that’s just big enough for my phone, or some keys and a card.  And don’t worry friends, I will be doing my next long(ish) run in these to see if they will work for my 26.2. 

After Lululemon and lots of walking around town, we were hungry again, and stopped at the Desert Storm Brewery for beer, wine, and an app.  We sat outside on the deck and settled on some veggie spring rolls and I had a glass of white wine which was a refreshing snack on a beautiful day. 

After all the eating out, we deiced to make dinner at the apartment.   I made porkchops with a mushroom and red wine reduction, with quinoa and green beans.  A relaxing and healthy meal enjoyed at home to end the day.

A 13 mile run, a walk around the city, a trip to Lululemon, a pit stop at a brewery, and a delicious homemade dinner.  The day’s just keep getting better and better.

<3 Katie