Hey Boston, I’m coming for you

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Last weekend we ventured to our rhyming sister cousin friend acquaintance city Boston for my cousin’s wedding.  While there I figured I’d try to get scope out the Boston Marathon course.  Maybe check out those nasty hills or get a preview of some of the scenery.  Well my plan was foiled when I learned that most of the race route is on city streets with minimal pedestrian access.  It didn’t stop me from getting very excited.

Instead I went out for two amazing runs along the Charles River.  The paths along the river are amazing as you run by all the historic brick buildings.  Starting in Copley Square I crossed the river into Cambridge and then trekked up one side of the river and back down the other trying my best to take it all in. If you wanted to convince me to move to Boston, all you’d need to do is take me on another run along the river there and I’m sold.

But all that running meant eating a lot.  We ate a ton.  Lobster rolls, pizza, pasta, and pastries like whoa.  On day 1 of our trip, my sister (who lives in Boston), Ev, and I hit up the gloriously named Mike’s Pastry for a famous canoli.  Not to waste an opportunity, I also picked up something called a lobster tail, which is really a code name for “enormous pastry stuffed with a pound of cream filling”.  By the end of the weekend I had conquered both desserts, sharing only a few bites along the way.

It’s hard to get perspective, but that lobster tail is about 11 inches long and weighs in, I’d guess, at 1.5 pounds.

What made up for not running any of the actual marathon course was getting to see the real finish line.  Most races bring in a scaffolding on race morning and take it away when the race is over.  Boston takes things much more seriously by actually painting the finish line onto the street.  How cool is that?!  Can’t wait to go back for the real deal!

Can’t wait to cross that finish line 9 months from now!

Me Llamo Taco – Breakfast

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Update: Super terrible news… Me Llamo Taco is no longer in business.

I can’t name a single thing Austin needs less than another taco stand. Maybe another thong-wearing, bike-riding septuagenarian or a skinny-jean-wearing, fixed-gear-bike-riding, mustachioed hipster. Well, if there was ever a taco shop to prove me wrong, this would be it. Recently a friend told me about a new taco trailer that set up shop at the Burnet Farmers Market. What’s it’s name? Me Llamo Taco. No, my name is Mike. The trailer is called Me Llamo Taco. I like it already.

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Brasil!

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And I’m back! Where was I? Well timing worked out pretty perfectly to take a vacation after the Vermont Marathon. Ev’s cousin was getting married in Brazil, so what better way to recover than head down to the Amazon for some rest and relaxation  family time and Portuguese overload?  It was a week long with lots of this and that, so I think a retelling through pictures may be best for everyone.  For your eyeball enjoyment, here’s Brazil!

(Here’s a tip: put your mouse over the picture to auto-pause on that picture.  It’ll show a little description below the picture too.  Move your mouse away to resume. Fancy!)

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Let’s Tri This Again

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Long, long ago, in a much simpler time, life was easy. The

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only concerns were “which shoes?” and “how far?”. Sometimes I would set my alarm 30 minutes earlier or later, but never more complicated than that. It was nice. And then things changed. I was bitten by the triathlon bug just as I was warned would happen in Austin. Life got more complicated–three times as complicated in fact. Running and I talked about a more open relationship. I shifted my goals away from marathons and towards triathlons. And then I took a leap and signed up for the Ironman 70.3 Austin. Much like signing up for my first marathon, I was scared; but I was brave. Until I realized I was an idiot. But there was running, waiting to take me back. So I decided to double down with running. “Qualify for Boston” became the name of the game. And qualify I did. So now, as I’m taking my well-deserved time to recovery, my thoughts are wandering. How about that triathlon thing? What’s left to prove with running?

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p>And so with more careful planning, I’m taking the leap again. I registered for the Ironman 70.3 Austin. I have 20 weeks to relearn how to swim, spend hours on the bike, and make sure I don’t forget how to run. For now there are no goals but to finish. Later on I may set a specific goal, but that’s for a triathlete-in-training to decide. A training plan is taking shape and will be posted soon. A few shorter races will come and go too before the 70.3 gets here. In the meantime, I’ll likely take the same approach to the triathlon as I did for running–put in the time and hope for the best.

Franklin, My Dear

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Hope.  A shade of a glimmer of hope.  That was all I could hold on to.  With lines taking up to 3 hours to get in the door, and with potentially nothing to show for it, when would I get another chance to enjoy Franklin Barbecue?  With its meteoric rise to national fame, locals and visitors alike became all too aware of the hidden gem now located on  dangerous  up-and-coming E 11th Street.  Great for Franklin, bad for Mike.  Or is it?

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Why The Face? – McDonalds

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Oh irony, how I enjoy you.  Recent news says that McDonald’s is the new Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon partner.  Sounds innocent enough until you realize that a fast food company responsible for a sizeable part of the obesity epidemic is partnering with an endurance event management company.  As Runner’s World reports “McDonald’s will be the “official quick service restaurant sponsor” of the events”.

I’m not a fan of Rock ‘n’ Roll’s parent company, Competitor Group, but not because of this.  I don’t like them because their events are bad.  And this doesn’t help how I perceive their image.

Idea!  I can see a great joint venture in the near future along the lines of a 26.2 Big Mac marathon for those who can’t run but who can eat 26 Big Macs in one sitting.  To be fair, McDonalds says this is about spreading the word of their more nutritious options and promoting a balanced diet.  Regardless, this is on Rock ‘n’ Roll and Competitor Group for making money-guided decisions rather than sticking to principles.

WTF?