Richard Huff's Seattle Social Blog

Super Jock n Jill Half Marathon.

Boot camp had to do without me on Monday morning (Labor Day). Instead, I headed out to Woodinville for the Super Jock n Jill half marathon. It was the first time I ran this particular race. It was also the first time I ran a half marathon since last years' Seattle half (November 25th). So,...expectations were low. The important thing was that I was out with running shoes on at the start of a race. The weather was perfect. The course wasn't bad. My time (2:34:42) wasn't even horrible, considering how little training there was under my belt when the gun fired.

There now just over a month before the next half marathon: the Royal Victorian.

Boot Camp, Week 2.

The second week of boot camp finished last Friday with a big sigh of relief. I felt much more capable than I did during the first week, but it's definitely not an activity where you should expect to plateau. I'm still near the tail of the pack, struggling. There's quite a bit of head room for me to improve. We met at Discovery Park on Wednesday and ran the 2.8 mile loop trail. Halfway through -- near the sand bluff -- we stopped and did an exercise circuit. Walking lunges in sand. Push-ups that involve pivoting to one arm at the top of the push. Side steps when your ankles are rubber-banded together. Bench dips. We did a little bit of everything before completing the loop trail.

Two weeks down. Two weeks to go! (At least for the first camp.)

Culinary Communion - Local Food Meal.

Melissa planned the perfect, foodie party for my birthday this year: ten of us got to have Culinary Communion to ourselves for a "local food" class. In preparation, Chef Gabriel Claycamp and Chef Katie Coleman shopped at several local farmers' markets to gather a collection of foods that were produced within 250 miles of Seattle. Melissa brought several bottles of wine from the same region. With help from the Chefs, we created a menu that would make use of almost all of the ingredients. We drank. We cooked. We ate.

What did we cook? Melissa and Winnie made fresh pasta and an arugula pesto. Several people worked on a roasted golden beet salad with fresh blackberries and chives. Gavin and Elaine threw together the most fantastic dish of clams, mussels, pancetta, and a white wine sauce. Joan, Aron, and Tatjana grilled corn, onions, and eggplant for a "deconstructed" ratatouille. We also battered and fried squash blossoms and beans, roasted potatoes with garlic, stuffed peppers with lamb and mint, and concocted a giant spinach frittata. (Forgive me if I don't exactly recall who worked on all the dishes.) We finished the whole meal with grilled peaches dressed by a balsamic and port wine reduction. But the finale was my birthday cake, which Melissa had gone out of her way to procure from Mike's Amazing Cakes.

Photos from the party are linked here.

Boot Camp, Week 1.

Taking the 2007 - 2008 winter off from training -- following a very active summer and fall -- was, in hindsight, a very bad idea. Thanksgiving and Christmas took their toll, and the short days of January and February kept me mostly indoors. But the upcoming races (Super Jock n Jill, Royal Victorian, and the Goofy Challenge) were not getting any shorter as time passed. So I joined a fitness boot camp, hoping that it would kick my training into high gear. Now that the first week is under my belt, I can tell you that it is some of the best money I've ever spent on fitness. You cannot fail to dramatically improve your fitness in this sort of program (as long as you don't drop out). Some of the highlights I've identified are:

Participants meet five, three, or two days per week. (I'm in the five day program.)
Sessions are a full 60 minutes long (i.e., the sessions start and end on time).
Cross-training, as opposed to just strength or just endurance.
Motivation through group interdependence.
Substantially less expensive than one-on-one training.

It wouldn't be fair if I didn't mention that you will be sore from the boot camp activities. You'll just have to deal with that.

Wedding Tuxedo.

Tapas' wedding tux arrived today. Yes, it's more than a year early. No, I couldn't wait. Little Lily's Red Carpet Collection is a set of limited edition dog couture styled after the celebrity fashions of the 2008 Oscar Awards. It took me some time to find a store that still had the collection in stock. There was no time to waste once I did. The alternatives to Little Lily's real tuxedos are gimmick, faux tuxedos -- something akin to those t-shirts that "look" like a tuxedo.

Tapas is seen, here, sporting "The George". (Someone please straighten his bow tie!) It's a classic, traditional look, like I hope to have for the wedding party. Barking Babies shipped it from their Vancouver, BC boutique in its own miniature garment bag.

I just pray that I look better than Tapas in my wedding tuxedo. Oh,...and I hope that he isn't busy filming the next 007 movie. Get that dog a martini before he uses his license to kill.

Blog Gap.

There is this giant gap in my blogging between the months of June 2007 and January 2008. No,...I didn't give up on blogging. The problem was that several things converged at once to limit my ability to blog. First, I started a new job. Second, marathon and cycling training began in earnest. As the summer progressed, every waking moment was occupied. So,...this single post will have to suffice. Here are some highlights:

Jun 10, 2007 - Furry Fun Run (5K)
Jun 24, 2007 - 47 Mile Cycle Training Ride
Jun 29, 2007 - iPhone Released
Jul 01, 2007 - 60 Mile Cycle Training Ride
Jul 02, 2007 - Start @ Microsoft
Jul 04, 2007 - 80 Mile Cycle Training Ride
Jul 07, 2007 - Host Gavin & Elaine's Wedding Shower
Jul 08, 2007 - Laptop Stolen
Jul 14-15, 2007 - Seattle To Portland Cycle (204 Miles)
Jul 21, 2007 - Volunteer @ TrailsFest
Jul 28, 2007 - 6 Mile Run
Aug 05, 2007 - 3 Mile Run
Aug 06, 2007 - Host Gavin's Bachelor Party
Aug 11, 2007 - 11 Mile Run
Aug 18, 2007 - 13.5 Mile Run
Aug 24-26, 2007 - Hood to Coast Support
Aug 29, 2007 - Tooth Crown Installed
Sep 01, 2007 - 17 Mile Run
Sep 03, 2007 - 3 Mile Run
Sep 07, 2007 - Gavin & Elaine's Wedding Rehearsal
Sep 08, 2007 - 12 Mile Run
Sep 08, 2007 - Gavin & Elaine's Wedding
Sep 15, 2007 - 17 Mile Run
Sep 29, 2007 - 8 Mile Run
Oct 06-07, 2007 - Royal Victoria Marathon
Oct 08-12, 2007 - Raleigh, NC
Oct 13, 2007 - 8.5 Mile Run
Oct 28, 2008 - 6 Mile Run
Nov 03-07, 2007 - New York, NY
Nov 21-23, 2007 - Thanksgiving in Portland
Nov 25, 2007 - Seattle Half Marathon

The bottom line is that I was hyper-busy during the second half of 2007, and it hasn't slowed down too much since then. There's been no cycling this year, but I have several races on the calendar for September, November, and January.

[The photo was taken by Chuck of the RunChuckIt Running Group when I was running the 2007 Seattle Half Marathon.]

Garmin Forerunner 405 [Update].

As mentioned in my previous Garmin Forerunner 405 post, I was skeptical of the "upgrade" a Forerunner 405 represented when compared to a Forerunner 305. As I suspected, the 405 should not be considered much of an evolution in the product line. Most of the enhancements are superficial, and fail to make the product more functional. Unlike the giant leap between the 205 and 305, the 405 is simply a disappointment. Melissa has had one since its release, and posts her Garmin Forerunner 405 review on her blog. Needless to say, I'm sticking with my tried and true 305.

Internet Fraud.

I've always heard about rampant Internet fraud, but I've only ever personally encountered it in two occasions. For the most part, Internet transactions are safe and free of fraud. The ones that are fraudulent seem to be fairly easy to catch. This one was caught and brought to my attention by a smart individual who ran across an advertisement for "Adorable English Bulldog puppies" [link]. Liking adorable English bulldog puppies [who doesn't], the individual inquired further and requested to see the pedigree. The pedigree delivered via e-mail was a poorly modified version of my dog's pedigree, originally posted on this very blog. I've posted the faked pedigree for comparison.

The wonderful thing about the Internet is that you can do a little bit of work to connect the facts and uncover possible fraud. Tapas' breeder was contacted by the above-mentioned individual, after they did some research on the lineage. The obvious question was, "How could an English bulldog come from a family of Chihuahuas?" I'm just curious as to why the fraudsters swapped out the American Kennel Club logo and changed the typeface at the top of the certificate -- both seemingly unnecessary steps to take.

Don't think that I am trying to downplay Internet fraud. It's a very serious problem with very few solutions. In fact, posting this entry is one of the few responses available to me. So,...let it be known that the individual(s) using the name "filly mimi" (fillymimi@live.com, fillymimi@aol.com) may try to sell you a fictitious bulldog pup. They are probably running the same scam with other names, e-mail addresses, and dog breeds. Be cautious! The common thread in their particular scams will probably be their poor grammar. See below:

I hate to say it, but this has the stench of a Nigerian scam.