30 Feels Tropical (and other ways to tell you are from New England)

I've decided that blogging should be a Monday-Friday activity. I don't get a chance to read any blogs on the weekends, so I feel like there should be some official announcement made to all bloggers - that it's ok to take a hiatus.

This weekend was a blast - totally organic and awesome. After Thursday's camping excursion, I wasn't planning on spending time at the Tarrywile lodge for a few days (not that it isn't lovely, but I do technically have a house of my own to take care of). Friday brought cold temperatures. It was 3 degrees at my house with a wind chill of negative 10 and it was even colder when I ventured North to take care of the horses that afternoon. I had a run on my schedule and I now eat the words I spoke: "there's no such thing as bad weather, just inadequate gear". Well, turns out, sometimes not even three pairs of tights, wool socks and a down vest will keep you warm. I had a short hour run on my schedule as a recovery workout and headed out on a fun loop around the farm. The first mile was brutal. If I had balls, they would have frozen off. The rest of the run was fine, but I think it was only because I had frozen my brain and lost all nerve and mental function.

After de-thawing, the invitation came for a night out w/ the 'rents. Proving just how awesome (read: as crazy as me) Sam is, he went along with my idea, when I said I wanted to hike from my house to the restaurant. No matter that it's now dark and even colder than the 2 degrees with -10 windchill it was during the day. After dinner, a ride home was offered and he didn't even blink when I said I wanted to walk home instead.

Saturday's schedule called for a 90 min. or so run with hill repeats and a 2 hour bike/snowshoe/ice skate/ski. I got up and had intentions of doing my run early, took about 20 steps outside and texted the boy - "Think I can run at C-dale later too?"

I never thought I could be an indoor workout person, and yet, here I am. For the 3rd weekend in a row, doing my workouts indoors, on the treadmill, rollers and then trainer (I can ride my rollers for a max of about 1hr-90 minutes before that achy, ooof, I've-been-in-the-same-position-too-long feeling sets in). Blasting music that can only be described as 'not suitable for children' and watching old bike race footage (we're talking from late 80's - 90's), the workouts seem to go by wicked fast. Maybe it's the change of scenery, the company or some other factor, but the important thing is, the workouts are getting done and I'm psyched to be doing them!

Saturday night, it was all we could do to get our crippled bodies home from the workout and get some food - FAST! Starvation central led to some fun impulse buys at Carluzzi's market and we took on the task of making thai curry again. This time we added veggie spring rolls and dumplings to the meal and it was fantastic. The final product was amazing. Chef Bear Claw (my nickname for Sam and also what his safe cutting technique is called) suggested we cook each part of the curry separately, then mix together in the wok to finish. The result was better than any food I've payed for at a thai restaurant. This recipe is def. going in the book!

Sunday morning was not rainy and there were no banana pancakes to be had, but there was a pot of tea and some great company with Ron (a C-dale designer) joining the Tarrywile mix. After breakfast and some snow-watching, we suited up and drove into NYC for the Annual Motorcycle show. The show was at the Javits Center in Manhattan's Hell's Kitchen neighborhood - near the Intrepid museum and the Hudson River. Camera in tow, we checked the future of motorcycles and had a lot of fun people-watching.

I was completely out of my element, but it's fun seeing people as passionate about motorcycles as I am about triathlon. Sam-boy is a Ducati rider and before I could even ask "where to first?" I was being led to the big red Ducati floor display. Mind you, I've never ridden a motorcylce before, but there we were, trying to find one I liked. After checking out a variety of options - from dirt bikes, to crotch rockets, 4-wheelers and scooters, we made our way back to the Ducati booth so I could sit on the sweetest moto of all. Cherry red and just my size. Man am I in trouble, because that felt gooooooood! Horses, bicycles and now motorcycles...I guess there's a natural tendency for things with a great deal of power and speed. I think I just found my new inspiration for racing this year!

That night after the show, we tooled around the neighborhood for a bit, bought bagels (and a dozen to thank my parents for watching Luna) and made our way South to pick up Joey before heading home. That night, the boy and I made our way to Erin and Erik Eagleman's adorable house (btw, if you are in need of a furnished rental in a great Danbury location, email them!). These two are awesome - great athletes and some of the sweetest, funniest people ever - not to mention great cooks! Erin and I have been talking about getting together for a long time and it was great to chat and enjoy an awesome meal... I'll have to post Erin's recipe for Curried Squash served over quinoa - it was a great meal for warming the stomach and the spirit.