I had to save these last two mouth-watering meals for their own post because Chris and I enjoyed them that much. It’s so neat to visit a restaurant and really taste the quality and care in the food. Yes, there is amazing food in front of you, but it somehow transforms into an overall experience that is so much more than just the food. That is what I truly love! But before we get to the good eats, we first had to make one last stop at another one of our favorite wineries called Pride. They not only have a great tour, but some pretty spectacular views as well. (more…)
May 31, 2010
May 29, 2010
lots of vino
After Chris and I had a nice recovery day, it was time to hit up the wineries and do some marathon tasting. We are in Napa, right?! I really didn’t have that much alcohol for the last 4 months with training, so I planned to take it easy and hopefully not offend anyone by pouring some in the provided buckets after tasting.
Chris and I decided to splurge and reserved a town car for the day so we wouldn’t have to worry about drinking and driving. The driver was also a family friend and it was nice to have someone to chat with and show us around. Our first stop was at Pine Ridge Winery. We made a stop here on our last trip to Napa about 4 years ago and really enjoyed it. Their wines have a bold and luscious character that we enjoy. (more…)
May 27, 2010
recovery day
The day after the century I was feeling pretty good but stiff and just wanted to have a low-key day to relax and recover. We decided not to have any wine, drink lots of water, and I also surprised Chris with our first sports massage! It was glorious, like a giant custom foam roller all over the body. I told the gal not to go too deep, so it wasn’t too painful 🙂 Plus I didn’t want to be even more sore afterwards. I could definitely get used to having one of these more often if they weren’t so dang pricey! (more…)
May 25, 2010
first century ride!
This ride was definitely one of the most challenging rides I’ve ever done, but I am so happy that I made it and I can finally say that I’ve biked 100 miles!!! (well, it actually turned out to be 106) It is an amazing and empowering feeling . . . and although I was a bit stiff the day after, I actually can’t wait to do it again crazy as it may sound 🙂 (more…)
May 16, 2010
and so it begins
The countdown that is!!! aaaaah! In about 6 days I’ll be riding my first century bike ride in Napa, CA and supporting the great cause of the LiveStrong Foundation. I really can’t believe it. honestly. When Chris and I first started getting somewhat serious into cycling, and he started doing century rides, I thought . . nah, I can’t imagine riding 100 miles?! Now, about 4 months of training later, I feel pretty darn strong and 65 miles isn’t all that bad, so there’s no turning back now. This is it! (more…)
May 14, 2010
FYF: my nutrition strategy
Happy Friday! We all know how important nutrition can be with any type of endurance activity. Having a sound nutrition strategy is just as important as one’s physical preparation and training, and can make or break a new PR. With dance, nutrition was important yes, but very different from cycling. I find cycling to be much more taxing physically, requiring a much different nutritional and mental approach. I am fairly new to cycling as well, which throws in a steep learning curve, while dance on the other hand was like second nature to me, mostly because I’ve been doing it since I was 8! (more…)
May 12, 2010
birthday kind of a day
Thank you for all the birthday wishes! I was definitely feeling the love 🙂 It was a pretty low key day, being that it was during the week and I had to work, but overall it was a great day and I couldn’t complain! When I got home from work I about started to whip something up for dinner, but I decided to ask Chris first, and he replied with a . . . No! 🙂
When I heard the garage door, I came downstairs to a birthday bag and a smiling Chris. I wasn’t really expecting what I ended up grabbing out of the bag, but kind of gave him a look of ‘what the heck?’ and then I started cracking up laughing (more…)
May 10, 2010
a taste of summer
I had a packet of farro in the pantry that I bought a little while ago because I loved it in the cheesy baked farro I made so much, I wanted to find something else to use it with. I also bought a bunch of veggies at TJ’s the other day and needed to use those as well. The weather is warming right up around here along with most of the country, so I thought I’d whipped up some kind of summery salad.
I had some lemons in the fridge that were on their last leg, so I decided to make a lemony farro salad with roasted heirloom tomatoes, asparagus, haricot verts and fresh mozzarella. It turned out really well and refreshing! Because I still have a few big bags of pistachios left when I won a year supply from The Green Nut on Twitter, I decided to also make coconut-pistachio crusted chicken tenders again to go alongside. (more…)
May 8, 2010
loooong ride!
Hello!!! I’m still here I promise! Before I recap my long and freakin’ fantastic bike ride, I want to pick up with the end of the week . . .
I’m finally done with my semester and I did well on my stats final, yay!! I’m planning on getting my last class credits done with another stats class over the summer; then it will be two semesters of thesis and I’ll have an MS in Exercise Physiology! After the final, my classmates and I had lunch at a Mexican Restaurant called Cozymel’s since it was also Cinco de Mayo. It was so nice to just sit, hang out and not have to worry about being anywhere. I didn’t have anything alcoholic, but there were quite a few pitchers of margarita going around 🙂 I had two chicken and beef soft tacos that came with a side of rice and beans. (more…)
May 3, 2010
nice day for a ride!
Well, the weekend has come and gone and I can’t believe I’m sitting here and it’s already 9:00 pm PST on Monday, geezsh! I guess this amazement in time mostly stems from the fact that I spent pretty much all the afternoon on a exhausting and glorious 56 mile bike ride, yay! I was hoping to get in 60, but when I started riding around my neighborhood to get in some extra miles, eyeing my Garmin like a hawk for each precious mile, I figured, eh I better head on home. Plus my legs were a ready for some rest!
Just a quick, itsy bitsy weekend re-cap . . . (more…)
