Vrooom! Vroooooom! Saturday the brand new, not really finished Formula 1 race track opened its gates to runners, joggers, and walkers to take a tour of its 3.4 mile loop. Known as the Circuit of the Americas, it’s the only Formula 1 track in the United States. With the inaugural F1 race taking place in 2 weeks, RunTex put on this fun run giving special access and a preview of the course before anyone else.
The Austin Food and Wine Alliance is “dedicated to fostering awareness and innovation in the Central Texas culinary community…” At the 2nd Annual Wine & Swine they certainly made everyone aware of all things pork with 18 chefs flexing their culinary muscles. At least half of them had whole hogs spit-roasted overnight while others worked pork into tacos, soups, and desserts. As if that wasn’t worth the entry fee, I was generously given a free media pass that included an invitation to a VIP party. We bought a ticket for Ev, put on our stretchy pants, had a small breakfast, and were on our way! (Warning: several whole-roasted pigs appear in photos below)
Good things happen to good people. A few months ago I had a barbecue epiphany when I tasted some mighty fine Carolina pulled pork at Curly’s Perfect Pig. Well after my first eye-opening experience, Curly’s was making plans to relocate to bigger and better things. Once a lone trailer in the parking lot of a mediocre restaurant near UT campus, Curly’s now finds itself as the anchor of the newest (and only) food trailer lot in Round Rock.
On Sunday I completed the Ironman 70.3 Austin Half Ironman. Training for 20 weeks, completing every workout, putting in countless hours (153 hours in fact). A lot went into just getting to the starting line. Since this will probably get long (I’ll try to keep it interesting with pictures), let’s dive right in.
Well folks, after 18 months that saw a switch to triathlons, back to running, and then back to triathlons, the time
has come for my big challenge. This Sunday is the Ironman 70.3 Austin. It’s a Half Ironman about 10 miles east of downtown that will definitely put all my training to the test. It starts with a 1.2 mile swim, followed by a 56 mile bike, and finishes with a 13.1 mile run. So here’s what we can look forward to.
This morning I saw, and immediately shared, a picture that was posted by the Austin Marathon on Facebook. It was one of those things that
rang so true that I felt dumb for never having thought of it before. It goes like this:
<
p>Amen.
It’s mid-October. It’s Austin, Texas. It’s humid. I’m not trying to say it isn’t humid elsewhere. I am definitely saying it’s humid here. But how humid is it really? Sure, I can say “93%” (which is what it was this morning), but what we need is a real way –an objective way– to describe the humidity. So instead of arbitrary numbers (shut up, scientists!) I submit to you, the A Mike’s Life humidity scale.
Note: This only applies when the humidity becomes noticeable. No one cares about humidity on a beautiful Fall day when the air is crisp and you’re wearing your LL Bean vest.
Snorkelfest aka Straw-sucker – You walk outside and feel like you’re breathing through a straw. It”s noticeable enough that you’re uncomfortable but not bad enough to use as an excuse to stay inside.
Bat Face – You step out the door and WHAM! You just got in the face with a baseball bat. It’s unavoidable. You can’t duck, sidestep, or avoid it in any way. You just have to take it and like it.
Bus Stop – More severe than getting hit with a baseball bat, this is similar to getting hit by a bus. Like a Greyhound. In the face. Look both ways all you want;
you’re still getting hit by the bus.
Swimming Pool – Perhaps not as overtly violent, the swimming pool level of humidity is the most dangerous. Much like the snorkel / straw, you feel like you’re underwater, but without the benefit of any air at all. At this point you should just go back to bed.
I apologize for the technical terminology used in this post, but I have standards to maintain and expect my readers to keep up. Any other ratings I may have missed? I considered the Gut Punch as another intermediate level.
<
p>Happy Breathing.
Sunday I ran in the CASA Superhero 5K Run. Like I mentioned last week, CASA is a volunteer-based organization that looks after children who have gone through tough times. Each volunteer is a superhero to a child, helping however they can to ensure each child can grow in a healthy, encouraging environment. This race is both raises funds and awareness for the CASA mission.
Update: Super terrible news… Me Llamo Taco is no longer in business.
You know what I love about Me Llamo Taco? Everything. Their breakfast tacos will start your day right and their lunch tacos are possibly likely the best in the city. So when my small team at work was having a company-sponsored lunch, what else could I do but demand suggest Me Llamo Taco provide the food? Nothing. There was nothing else I could do. And so the team’s lunch fate was sealed.
Being a superhero doesn’t require a cape, special powers, or even a cool name. It’s much simpler than that. All you have to do is act like a human being and help others when help is needed. The local CASA chapter is putting on its annual Superhero 5K Run this Sunday 9/30, which raises support and awareness for the children whose lives they work tirelessly to improve.
