So, I don't know what's been going on with the weather in San Diego lately but I like it. Usually by this time of the year, we're in full on summer mode. Every day is super sunny and getting hotter and hotter, slowly leading up to the dismal heat of August. The reason that so many people think that Southern Californians do nothing but go to the beach is because in August, it's so brutally hot that the beach is the only escape. So unless you can get up before the sun does, running is pretty much out of the question unless you're really eager to get heatstroke. However, this year has been different.
Up until yesterday, every day so far this summer has seemed more like a California winter than anything else. Gloom, fog and cold greeted me every morning so far this July- something I can't ever remember seeing this far into the year here. So while everyone else here griped about how summer was taking forever to get here, I was using as much bad weather as I could to run in. I know that some people really like running in warmer weather, but I would much rather run in the cold. But now, it seems that things are going to have to change.
Today was the first day that started off without fog in the sky in the past month and a half or so. Soon, it became apparent that Summer had finally decided to show up. While I've been dreading this day for a few weeks now, it was inevitably going to happen at some point, so I decided to celebrate the real start of summer with a run.
One of the biggest enigmas going into Hood to Coast this year has to be the weather. We could be running in anything from hail and pouring rain to 90 degree heat, so I think it's probably better I'm ready for anything. Last year, we had no idea what it was going to be like until a few days before, and even then we still didn't know exactly what to expect. It ended up drizzling for a good deal of the race, which was fine with me because it wasn't enough to slow you down at all, just cool you off. This year, I'm hoping for the same, but I'm going to have to get some hot runs in just in case.
When I took off today, I had every intention of doing the 3.5 mile loop by my house. After about a quarter mile, I realized that it just wasn't going to happen. I felt like I hadn't run in about a year and a half. I don't know if it was the heat or my breakfast or a combination, but I wasn't feeling too good. Still, it felt kind of nice to actually sweat during a run again. I don't know how hot it actually was out there, but it probably wasn't more than 85 degrees. I know as the race approaches, it's going to get much much hotter, so I'm bracing myself. I'm going to try to up my mileage again by the end of the week so hopefully the heat doesn't go crazy on me out here. Fingers crossed.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Kiuchi Brewery - Hitachino Nest Red Rice Ale
It's not often that you come across a beer that is unlike anything you've ever come across. Going into this tasting, I had a feeling that this beer was going to be a little different going in. For one, I've never come across a beer with "red rice" in the name. I literally had no idea what to expect going into this one and I think that was probably a good thing.
The beer pours a cloudy brown color with little floating black bits in it. While normally, this would really scare me off, something told me that this was just part of the experience with this beer, so I went with it. I've seen unfiltered beers before, but never anything quite like this. To add to the exotic appearance, there was a slight pinkish glow in both the beer itself and in the off-white head.
This really has nothing to do with how good the beer was, but I absolutely loved the label on this beer. The art is has a very old and traditional look to it. This beer looks like a champ. Alright, on to the taste.
To tell you the truth, as badly as I wanted to like this beer, I'm not sure I did. The rice is definitely there in the flavor and the first sip came through with an almost sake-like flavor to it. I don't know why, but after a few sips, I couldn't help that this beer tasted a little like a Budweiser (another rice beer), and that kind of stuck with me for the rest of the beer. Even though, there's a bit of a Budweiser taste to this, Hitachino Nest has a lot more going on. There's an earthy flavor to it and a slightly bitter and maybe even a bit sour aftertaste. This is such a strange little beer that I just don't think it's one that you're supposed to "love." That said, it is without a doubt a well made beer and one that's worth a try.
Final Grade: B+
The beer pours a cloudy brown color with little floating black bits in it. While normally, this would really scare me off, something told me that this was just part of the experience with this beer, so I went with it. I've seen unfiltered beers before, but never anything quite like this. To add to the exotic appearance, there was a slight pinkish glow in both the beer itself and in the off-white head.
This really has nothing to do with how good the beer was, but I absolutely loved the label on this beer. The art is has a very old and traditional look to it. This beer looks like a champ. Alright, on to the taste.
To tell you the truth, as badly as I wanted to like this beer, I'm not sure I did. The rice is definitely there in the flavor and the first sip came through with an almost sake-like flavor to it. I don't know why, but after a few sips, I couldn't help that this beer tasted a little like a Budweiser (another rice beer), and that kind of stuck with me for the rest of the beer. Even though, there's a bit of a Budweiser taste to this, Hitachino Nest has a lot more going on. There's an earthy flavor to it and a slightly bitter and maybe even a bit sour aftertaste. This is such a strange little beer that I just don't think it's one that you're supposed to "love." That said, it is without a doubt a well made beer and one that's worth a try.
Final Grade: B+
Friday, July 9, 2010
Rogue Brewery - Hazelnut Brown Nectar
Just when I thought I wasn't a fan of brown ales, Rogue's Hazelnut Brown Nectar came along.
Going into last weekend, I had been hearing a lot about Rogue's beers, but I hadn't tried many of them. Actually, their Dead Guy Ale was the only one I had ever tried. I had been reading up on their beers a lot and the more I read, the more I wanted to try them. Rogue happens to have a brewhouse in downtown Portland, so there's a pretty good chance that will be on the itinerary when Hood to Coast comes around. Anyways, on Saturday, I was in a bar watching the Spain vs. Paraguay game when I looked on the menu and saw they had a Rogue beer on tap- Hazelnut Brown Nectar. Sold.
The beer is a deep brown color with ruby and orange tinges. The smell told me right away that I was going to like this beer. Hazelnut aromas and sweet malts jumped out at me and really made me want to dive into this one. The taste didn't disappoint. It was sweet and full of hazelnut with a gentle finish that had a bit of brown sugar in it. Nectar is a pretty good description. This is a really fantastic beer and makes me really want to try some more of Rogue's offerings. Now that I think about it, I remember seeing a bunch of them at BevMo. Hmmmm.... More on this in the near future.
Final Grade: A
Going into last weekend, I had been hearing a lot about Rogue's beers, but I hadn't tried many of them. Actually, their Dead Guy Ale was the only one I had ever tried. I had been reading up on their beers a lot and the more I read, the more I wanted to try them. Rogue happens to have a brewhouse in downtown Portland, so there's a pretty good chance that will be on the itinerary when Hood to Coast comes around. Anyways, on Saturday, I was in a bar watching the Spain vs. Paraguay game when I looked on the menu and saw they had a Rogue beer on tap- Hazelnut Brown Nectar. Sold.
The beer is a deep brown color with ruby and orange tinges. The smell told me right away that I was going to like this beer. Hazelnut aromas and sweet malts jumped out at me and really made me want to dive into this one. The taste didn't disappoint. It was sweet and full of hazelnut with a gentle finish that had a bit of brown sugar in it. Nectar is a pretty good description. This is a really fantastic beer and makes me really want to try some more of Rogue's offerings. Now that I think about it, I remember seeing a bunch of them at BevMo. Hmmmm.... More on this in the near future.
Final Grade: A
Ninkasi Brewing Company - Tricerahops Double IPA
A few weeks ago, I asked my teammates if they had any suggestions for beers I should try. One of them, Alan, sent me a list of a bunch of beers that sounded really good. There was just one problem- I couldn't find any of them. Alan lives up in Oregon and, sadly, not so many of the great Oregon beers find their way down here. I resigned myself to the fact that there are just a lot of great beers out there that I'll never get to try. Then, while I was in BevMo about a week ago, I finally found one of the beers- Tricerahops Double IPA. I'll admit it, the 6 year old in me who is still in love with dinosaurs was the most excited about this one when I was reading the names just because it's a great name. Apparently, the name of the brewery, Ninkasi, was the name of the beer goddess that the ancient Sumerians used to pray to. So really, there are two great names going on in this beer. Nice.
Tricerahops pours a slightly hazy burnt orange color with a thin tan head. The heads on most of the IPAs I've tried have been relatively thin and small, so this wasn't surprising or disappointing at all. I wasn't really expecting the cloudiness of the beer, and the appearance was almost like that of a really dark hefeweizen than an IPA. This being a double IPA, I was expecting a huge amount of hops in the smell and they were there, but definitely tempered by a sweet malty smell. The taste of this beer is really nice. There is a nice hit from the hops right off the bat and they taste fresh and a bit citrusy. Then the finish fades into the sweet malt flavors that were present in the nose.
Many IPAs (and especially double IPAs) try to absolutely blow you out of the water with the hop flavors. But sometimes, more hop flavor isn't always a good thing. Sometimes the result can be a beer that is so over the top hoppy that there is nothing else going on. I got the feeling when I was drinking Tricerahops that Ninkasi wasn't trying to blow the drinker away with this one- they were just trying to make a good beer. So while it was a little surprising that something that said "Double IPA" on the label wasn't making me pucker like crazy, it was a nice surprise. Super hoppy or not, this is a really fantastic beer. Good recommendation, Alan. I just wish I could try more on that list.
Final Grade: A
Tricerahops pours a slightly hazy burnt orange color with a thin tan head. The heads on most of the IPAs I've tried have been relatively thin and small, so this wasn't surprising or disappointing at all. I wasn't really expecting the cloudiness of the beer, and the appearance was almost like that of a really dark hefeweizen than an IPA. This being a double IPA, I was expecting a huge amount of hops in the smell and they were there, but definitely tempered by a sweet malty smell. The taste of this beer is really nice. There is a nice hit from the hops right off the bat and they taste fresh and a bit citrusy. Then the finish fades into the sweet malt flavors that were present in the nose.
Many IPAs (and especially double IPAs) try to absolutely blow you out of the water with the hop flavors. But sometimes, more hop flavor isn't always a good thing. Sometimes the result can be a beer that is so over the top hoppy that there is nothing else going on. I got the feeling when I was drinking Tricerahops that Ninkasi wasn't trying to blow the drinker away with this one- they were just trying to make a good beer. So while it was a little surprising that something that said "Double IPA" on the label wasn't making me pucker like crazy, it was a nice surprise. Super hoppy or not, this is a really fantastic beer. Good recommendation, Alan. I just wish I could try more on that list.
Final Grade: A
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Run 10
Last year during the Hood to Coast, we had a team meeting before the race where the entire team got to meet each other. Some I knew already, others were new faces. Still, no matter who you talked to, the popular topic of conversation was training. Everyone seemed to be trying to gauge where they were compared to everyone else on the team training-wise. I didn't want to make it seem like I hadn't been taking my training seriously, so everytime someone would ask me how much I had trained for the race, I would say the same thing - "Oh, you know. I ran about ten times or so." Whether I actually did ten runs before last year's race or not is debatable, but 10 seemed like a high enough number to me at the time. Of course, in reality (and as I soon found out), running 10 times before a race like the Hood to Coast isn't going to get you anywhere near the shape you need to be in. Going into this year's race, I vowed to break that hallowed "10 runs" marker in an attempt to not feel close to death when the race is over as I did last year. And today, with 6 weeks left before the race, I'm happy to say I've run for the (actual) 10th time.
For my tenth run, I decided to do something a little special- run farther than I ever have before. Having not run in a week (again), I decided it was time to go all out and see if I could run the distance of my first leg of the race- 7.4 miles. Using mapmyrun.com, I charted a bunch of runs from my house and finally settled on one that measured 7.25 miles. I know, it's not 7.4, but it was close enough for me. Having never run over a 10k before, this would take me a mile farther than my longest run to date. There was only one problem- the cramp monster came along for the ride.
I went into the run fully recovered from going to the fair a second time over the weekend (and this time, deep fried butter WAS on the menu). Having eaten well enough over the past few days, I was hopeful that the run today would be grueling but cramp/other weird pain free. As soon as I hit the 1/2 mile mark, I realized that this would not be the case.
As I got the the first big hill, the cramp monster struck- a double whammy to the left gut and right shoulder. Luckily, I made it to a stoplight just in time and got a minute or two of rest to work out the cramps. When I began to run again, things felt normal...or so I thought.
At around the 2.5 mile mark, the cramp monster bit again- a beast of a pain right in the right gut this time. Grimacing and trying to work it out as I was running, I made it to another light and got another needed rest. When the light turned green, I started off again and things felt better. But I hadn't gotten the best of the cramp monster yet.
At around the 4 mile mark, there is a stretch of about a mile that is one of the worst uphills I've ever run (third only to the Tough Topanga 10k and the hill on my last leg of the Hood to Coast last year). I was waiting for the cramps to come, but they never did. The hill was tough, but I was able to push myself up it and before I knew it, I was through the toughest part of my run. Seemingly, the cramps were done.
I ran up the next street and made the long home stretch down Nobel feeling really good. I was nearing 10k distance, but my legs were feeling like I had only run a mile. Surprisingly, the hill hadn't sapped me of every bit of energy I had left. "I only have a mile left. I can do this," I thought. And then, of course, it hit me like a semi. I could feel it right under my right shoulder blade and it was an absolute toad of a cramp. Damn you, cramp monster! It stayed with me for another half a mile until I reached the final hill. Then, mercifully, the cramp monster decided I had had enough. All that was left between me and the end of my run was one last hill.
I went it this run hoping very optimistically to do it in an hour. However, after all the cramp attacks, I was sure I was nowhere near that mark. But when I looked at my watch, I found that I had four minutes to make it up the hill and get home. I could do this.
I don't know where it came from, but somehow I was absolutely charged up with energy. I barely felt the strain of the slope and destroyed the hill like I've never taken down a hill before in my life. One of my friends from the team has always told me that his motto is: "Hills are your friend." I never really thought of them as anything but my nemesis until today. Today, I pretty much owned them and it felt good.
I reached the end of the run and checked my watch- 58:42. Run 10 is done, and what a run it was. Cramp monster, go bite someone else.
For my tenth run, I decided to do something a little special- run farther than I ever have before. Having not run in a week (again), I decided it was time to go all out and see if I could run the distance of my first leg of the race- 7.4 miles. Using mapmyrun.com, I charted a bunch of runs from my house and finally settled on one that measured 7.25 miles. I know, it's not 7.4, but it was close enough for me. Having never run over a 10k before, this would take me a mile farther than my longest run to date. There was only one problem- the cramp monster came along for the ride.
I went into the run fully recovered from going to the fair a second time over the weekend (and this time, deep fried butter WAS on the menu). Having eaten well enough over the past few days, I was hopeful that the run today would be grueling but cramp/other weird pain free. As soon as I hit the 1/2 mile mark, I realized that this would not be the case.
As I got the the first big hill, the cramp monster struck- a double whammy to the left gut and right shoulder. Luckily, I made it to a stoplight just in time and got a minute or two of rest to work out the cramps. When I began to run again, things felt normal...or so I thought.
At around the 2.5 mile mark, the cramp monster bit again- a beast of a pain right in the right gut this time. Grimacing and trying to work it out as I was running, I made it to another light and got another needed rest. When the light turned green, I started off again and things felt better. But I hadn't gotten the best of the cramp monster yet.
At around the 4 mile mark, there is a stretch of about a mile that is one of the worst uphills I've ever run (third only to the Tough Topanga 10k and the hill on my last leg of the Hood to Coast last year). I was waiting for the cramps to come, but they never did. The hill was tough, but I was able to push myself up it and before I knew it, I was through the toughest part of my run. Seemingly, the cramps were done.
I ran up the next street and made the long home stretch down Nobel feeling really good. I was nearing 10k distance, but my legs were feeling like I had only run a mile. Surprisingly, the hill hadn't sapped me of every bit of energy I had left. "I only have a mile left. I can do this," I thought. And then, of course, it hit me like a semi. I could feel it right under my right shoulder blade and it was an absolute toad of a cramp. Damn you, cramp monster! It stayed with me for another half a mile until I reached the final hill. Then, mercifully, the cramp monster decided I had had enough. All that was left between me and the end of my run was one last hill.
I went it this run hoping very optimistically to do it in an hour. However, after all the cramp attacks, I was sure I was nowhere near that mark. But when I looked at my watch, I found that I had four minutes to make it up the hill and get home. I could do this.
I don't know where it came from, but somehow I was absolutely charged up with energy. I barely felt the strain of the slope and destroyed the hill like I've never taken down a hill before in my life. One of my friends from the team has always told me that his motto is: "Hills are your friend." I never really thought of them as anything but my nemesis until today. Today, I pretty much owned them and it felt good.
I reached the end of the run and checked my watch- 58:42. Run 10 is done, and what a run it was. Cramp monster, go bite someone else.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Ballast Point Brewing Company - Sculpin IPA
A few months ago, I was just starting to get really interested in beer. With the aid of Kenny, I started to explore some of the beers made in the San Diego area. It wasn't long before I began trying a few of Ballast Point's beers and soon, I found one that blew almost everything else out there away- Sculpin IPA.
Sculpin is (sadly) a seasonal beer that Ballast makes every spring. When I toured the brewery a few weeks ago, they were at the very end of Sculpin season. While this made me a little (ok, more than a little) sad, we saw some barrels of another seasonal beer they make called Victory at Sea- another phenomenal beer that is due to come out in a few months. So, if nothing else, at least there is that to look forward to in the near future.
I bought a bomber of Sculpin a few weeks ago and finally tried it out last Saturday. Wow. I've never tasted an IPA quite like this in my life. For one thing, this beer is full of flavors that most IPAs don't go near. Right off the bat, the aroma of the beer is full of apricot and mango and grapefruit along with clean citrusy hops. The taste is really full with the sweetness of apricot and then ends with a nice hard finish of piney hops. Even though this beer has so much going on, everything is perfectly balanced and the result is really amazing. I only have one complaint - Why does it have to be seasonal? Why?
Final Grade- A+
Sculpin is (sadly) a seasonal beer that Ballast makes every spring. When I toured the brewery a few weeks ago, they were at the very end of Sculpin season. While this made me a little (ok, more than a little) sad, we saw some barrels of another seasonal beer they make called Victory at Sea- another phenomenal beer that is due to come out in a few months. So, if nothing else, at least there is that to look forward to in the near future.
I bought a bomber of Sculpin a few weeks ago and finally tried it out last Saturday. Wow. I've never tasted an IPA quite like this in my life. For one thing, this beer is full of flavors that most IPAs don't go near. Right off the bat, the aroma of the beer is full of apricot and mango and grapefruit along with clean citrusy hops. The taste is really full with the sweetness of apricot and then ends with a nice hard finish of piney hops. Even though this beer has so much going on, everything is perfectly balanced and the result is really amazing. I only have one complaint - Why does it have to be seasonal? Why?
Final Grade- A+
Friday, July 2, 2010
Run 9
We're exposed to a lot of numbers on a daily basis- most with negative connotations. Whether it's the number of barrels of oil that are pouring into the Gulf on a daily basis or the rising national debt, it's hard to find any kind of statistic that's going to put you in a good mood. For now, these are the numbers I need to focus on- 7.42, 4.15 and 5.35. These are the mileages of the legs I will be running in the Hood to Coast this year. The lineup is officially out and I am really excited.
Last year, I volunteered to run one of the first legs and was put in the second position. Honestly, I had no idea what I was signing myself up for, I just figured that running downhill had to be better than running uphill, and I knew that my first run had a huge downhill. What I didn't realize was that this meant my legs and toes would be absolutely dead after running the downhill. No more. This year, I will be running the sixth leg of the race, which means I will be far from the sloping terrain of Mt. Hood.
The legs I'll be running this year couldn't be more different than the ones I ran last year. Whereas last year my legs were all roughly the same distance, this year, there's a huge difference in mileage. Last year, my toughest leg was my last. Big mistake. This year, I'm getting the toughest done with first. I don't know if any of this guarantees that I'm going to run any faster than I did last year, but I'm thinking that this can't hurt my chances.
On to the run. After not feeling well for the early part of the week, I came to Thursday realizing that I hadn't run once. Still not feeling back to normal but realizing that not running would take an entire week out of my training, I decided to go to the Pacific Beach boardwalk again and hope for the best from my body. Fortunately, my body performed way better than I was expecting and I didn't feel any ill effects after not running for a week. I don't know if it was the perfect running weather or the remarkably solid music my ipod had in store for me on the run, but I felt really good and I ended up finishing the run 5 minutes faster than I had the first time I ran it.
Now, I know exactly how far I'm going to have to run, it's both inspiring and a little scary. To be honest, I've never run 7 and a half miles at one time in my life. So while this is a little intimidating, I'm determined to make sure that when Hood to Coast comes around, the first leg isn't still the first time I've ever run 7.5 miles at one time. Soon, it will be time for the serious training to begin and I'm hoping through it, that 7.5 number will seem a little less of an obstacle.
Last year, I volunteered to run one of the first legs and was put in the second position. Honestly, I had no idea what I was signing myself up for, I just figured that running downhill had to be better than running uphill, and I knew that my first run had a huge downhill. What I didn't realize was that this meant my legs and toes would be absolutely dead after running the downhill. No more. This year, I will be running the sixth leg of the race, which means I will be far from the sloping terrain of Mt. Hood.
The legs I'll be running this year couldn't be more different than the ones I ran last year. Whereas last year my legs were all roughly the same distance, this year, there's a huge difference in mileage. Last year, my toughest leg was my last. Big mistake. This year, I'm getting the toughest done with first. I don't know if any of this guarantees that I'm going to run any faster than I did last year, but I'm thinking that this can't hurt my chances.
On to the run. After not feeling well for the early part of the week, I came to Thursday realizing that I hadn't run once. Still not feeling back to normal but realizing that not running would take an entire week out of my training, I decided to go to the Pacific Beach boardwalk again and hope for the best from my body. Fortunately, my body performed way better than I was expecting and I didn't feel any ill effects after not running for a week. I don't know if it was the perfect running weather or the remarkably solid music my ipod had in store for me on the run, but I felt really good and I ended up finishing the run 5 minutes faster than I had the first time I ran it.
Now, I know exactly how far I'm going to have to run, it's both inspiring and a little scary. To be honest, I've never run 7 and a half miles at one time in my life. So while this is a little intimidating, I'm determined to make sure that when Hood to Coast comes around, the first leg isn't still the first time I've ever run 7.5 miles at one time. Soon, it will be time for the serious training to begin and I'm hoping through it, that 7.5 number will seem a little less of an obstacle.
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