The Fro Fro Blog

Race Report: See Jane Tri (Pleasanton)

I'll try to keep this report short and sweet - just like the race.

This was my third year running (and biking and swimming) for the See Jane Tri, so at this point I knew the drill.  Get there early to get a good transition spot, which means leaving home at 5:15 ish (yes, in the a.m.) to drive roughly an hour to Shadow Cliffs Regional Park in Pleasanton.  I arrived to find nicely upgraded bike racks and scored a prime endcap location.  The weather was also much warmer than previous years, which was another welcome change.  After setting up my area and getting my bib and chip, I headed back to my car (which I found even though it was still dark) and caught a few more Z's.

Around 7:30 I ate my Builder's Bar and headed to the starting area.  Much more crowded than I remembered. Word on the beach was that this year's race had 3x more participants than last year.  Whoa!  As I looked around, I marveled at the spectrum of ages, shapes and sizes.  For those not familiar with triathlon customs, they mark your bib number on your arms and legs and your age on the back of your right calf with a thick black Sharpie.  The bib number helps identify you in photos.  The age helps you compare yourself to everyone around you before and during the race, sometimes somewhat cattily, I admit.  She's 70? Wow, what an inspiration!  She's 28?  No way.  I'm kicking her ass! 

The 400-yard swim waves started a little after 8 am, by age group.  When they called my group, we waded into the water and awaited the horn.  The water temp was lovely, but wading through the muck on the ground was not.  I looked on the bright side and remarked, "It's good for your skin ladies!"  The horn sounded at 8:35 and we were off.  There was the usual jostling for space, swallowing lake and making sure I was heading in the right direction.  All was going according to plan until ...OUCH! Dammit, that hurt!  Someone had kicked me in the nose so hard that my goggles were knocked to my forehead.  I got my bearings and since miraculously I wasn't bleeding, I kept going.

The rest of the race was fairly uneventful.  The 11-mile bike course began with a small hill and had another medium-sized one in the middle, but was otherwise flat.   The 3-mile run course, on the other hand, was mostly hills, some quite steep.  But the weather and the Shadow Cliffs trails were both beautiful.  I was glad I'd packed my sunglasses at the last minute.

As I approached the finish line, I couldn't believe the race was already almost over.  In the days beforehand, I was feeling physically ready, but was having trouble getting myself mentally psyched up.  Now, the race was coming to an end and I was wishing it would keep going. I was feeling happy but somewhat unfulfilled because I knew in my heart of hearts that I hadn't tried something I was unsure I could do, and achieved it anyway.  That's the biggest rush -- and I wasn't feeling it.  So I made a mental note that it's time to find a new challenge.

In the meantime, I donned my finisher's medal proudly and headed back out toward the home stretch of the course to cheer on some of the other participants.  It feels great to have a crowd of strangers cheering for you, and I wanted to give back some of what I'd gotten.

When the results were posted, I saw that I'd clocked in at 1:16:34, seven minutes faster than last year's time.  Not too shabby!

Then I drove back to San Fran and sought out some sweet rewards at Sweet Dish and Simply Chic.  Nothing says congratulations like candy and a cute top!  

Race Report: DSE Stern Grove 4M

This race wasn't on my original schedule for this year, but I'm considering it "insurance."  I'm still doing the race-a-month routine, and staring down the prospect of a triathlon on the 27th.  I'm 99% sure I'll do it, but it's that 1% nagging at me that got me over to Stern Grove this past Sunday for the Dolphin South End Runners Stern Grove 4M (4 miles).  That and Big Bob, whom I recruited to be my chauffer, running coach and brunch buddy.

Bob's much more serious than I about the whole running thing.  He geeked out on me with talk of calibrating his race watch and getting there early to do a substantial warm up in order to increase the odds of a p.r.  I told him, "Duuuuude.  I just wanna run."   In all seriousness, I'm looking forward to Big Bob's training regimen shaving minutes off my time, but after having done a big brick training workout the day before (over two hours of swim, bike, run, bike, run) I really did just wanna run.  I was able to be convinced to do a bit of a warmup, and then shortly after 8am we were off.    

DSE races are usually as flat as pancakes.  Mmmm, pancakes.  With syrup.  Wait a minute, where was I?  Oh, right.  Flat courses.  NO, not for this one.  Surprise!  Hills -- big hills!  Steep, steep climbs, as well as descents you had to take carefully to prevent yourself from careening into a face-plant.  So much for the nine-minute mile.  I had to reset expectations and shoot for different goals: a sub-40, and having no one pass me once we got going and the pack thinned out.

For the first half of the race I was biding my time behind two guys - one obviously coaching the other.  (After some words of encouragement, my coach had taken off like the wind.)  As luck would have it, right around mile 2.25, the coach friend picked up a nearby branch and gave his buddy a friendly "crack of the whip."  It got me going too -- and I kicked it into gear to pass them and kept that pace going for the rest of the race (monster hills not included).

For most of the second half I was running behind two women -- one in a bright red top, the other in blue.  So I decided to play a little game:  Red for Republican, Blue for Barack.  The two women kept trading places with each other, and I pretended they were representing the candidates' standings in the polls. I had to keep up with them to see who would win!  Thankfully, it was blue.  Let's all pray for the same outcome in reality.

I came to the home stretch and was really feeling great.  Steep hills behind me, I was cruising!  I'd achieved my goal of "no passing," and when I spotted the time clock, the other goal was in sight.  Mission accomplished: 39:39.

After the race, Big Bob and I headed over to Presidio Social Club, which now serves brunch Saturdays and Sundays, 10-2.  There were beignets to start -- the same light, fluffy ones they serve for dessert at dinner, with maple syrup for dipping.  

No fillings like my faves at Brenda's and Magic Flute, but still a great warm-up to the main event -- Rum-Soaked Challah French Toast with Bananas and a side of bacon for me, Scrambled Eggs and Hash Browns for Bob.  I would have hollered for thicker challah, but what I got was still quite good.  One of my favorite bites of the meal was a crispy edge of Bob's hash browns.  

 

It's also worth noting that the service was prompt and very friendly.   So if you're looking for a new brunch option in San Francisco, join the Club!

Presidio Social Club | 563 Ruger Street, San Francisco, CA 94129 | 415.885.1888 | presidiosocialclub.com

Now That's My Kinda Diet!

Ubuntu (Napa)

Actually, I've been to Ubuntu two times.  First was last Sunday, on the night before a friend's Labor Day BBQ in St. Helena.  I enjoyed it so much that I decided to embrace the spirit of Ubuntu -- a Zulu word meaning "humanity toward others" -- and share its goodness with Francesca yesterday, after our girly spa day at Villagio (another place I can't seem to get enough of). 

I'd been reading that Ubuntu was one of those unexpected gems you so rarely find.  The things I'd been reading gushed so universally that I had to see for myself if the place lived up to the hype.  A vegetarian place?  Really??  One in particular was Frank Bruni's New York Times review.   (Sidebar.  Can we talk about Frank Bruni for a second?  First, go read his review.  It's fine, go.  I'll wait.  Now, does that man know how to write a restaurant review or what?  If Ubuntu is "the Angelina Jolie of restaurants," then Bruni is my Edward Norton.)

Here are a few visuals to set the stage... the striking interior, the busy open kitchen below their yoga studio above.  (Check out the top shelf above the orders.  What are they reading at Ubuntu?  For one, the new A16 cookbook.)

As you read on, note that anything in CAPS is from Ubuntu's own garden -- and as such you should not count on the menu being same when you visit because everything is fresh.  Literally and metaphorically.

For starters, the marcona almonds with LAVENDER sugar and sea salt were the gastronomic equivalent of our spa day -- nourishing, relaxing and infused with lavender.

The main meal was a series of small plates, starting with the grilled peach panzanella (bread salad) with burrata, FRENCH BEANS and pesto of BASIL & PEACH LEAF OIL.  Crunchy beans, the most creamy, dreamy burrata cheese you've ever had, sweet peaches, big buttery chunks of bread, flavorful basil.... one bite of that salad and I knew I'd be back. 

Then came the heirloom tomato salad, since it is tomato season after all.  It was actually listed on the menu as HEIRLOOM TOMATOES, picked at 4:30, ZUCCHINI "hummus," BASIL, fennel crackers, espelette.  That's right, picked only hours before. There was the option to add burrata to that dish, too.  Yup, bring it.

Last up on my first night was the local polenta finished with corn pudding, 3-day soffrito, PADRONS, smoked corn and parmesan.  It was very good, but probably my least favorite of any of the dishes -- not as flavorful and as much as I'm trying to expand my palate, I'm just not a huge roast pepper fan.

On my second visit, Frankie and I had my faves from visit 1 (almonds and panzanella) plus today's LEAVES and THINGS dressed lightly with regina olive oil, lemon & sea salt; the cauliflower in a cast iron pot - roast-puree-raw-"couscous," our vadouvan spice, brown butter toast; and the fingerling POTATOES, lightly smoked with gribiche, FICOIDE GLACIALE, black garlic, capers.  The cauliflower will unquestionably make my "Best of '08" list. (Full list to be revealed in January.  Keep reading!)  The potatoes not only looked gorgeous, they tasted amazing thanks to the tasty gribiche and the incredibly unique ficoide glaciale; those little green things literally explode in your mouth with an icy lemon liquid.

 

Back to dessert on visit 1. Although I was dining solo, two of the desserts looked so good I had to try them both.  (Yes, you've heard it before; no doubt you'll hear it again.)  The vanilla bean "cheesecake" in a jar, blueberries with VERBENA, almond-teeccino crumble was so good I have no words.  The ganache in the chocolate ganache with braised kadota figs, smoked hazelnut shortbread, coffee chicory ice cream was like buttah.  Literally, like chocolate butter.  Dare I say it?  A little too rich for my blood.  

On visit 2, our two sweet selections were the bowl of frosted feuilletine, bananas, keifer lime ice cream, warm coconut & rum milk; and the silverado trail strawberries, gently roasted, lemon cream, frozen yogurt parfait, LAVENDER meringue.  It wasn't until the former arrived that we put two and two together -- that it was meant to be a dessert version of a Frosted Flakes breakfast!  Again, both were TDF (to die for -- or my other new favorite, touchdown Favre!).

Checks, please!

So after two times, add my name to the list of Ubuntu's faithful.  (Right underneath Frank Bruni, if I may be so bold.)  Although I usually don't like to repeat restaurants since there are so many great new ones to try popping up all the time, I'm already plotting my next trip to Ubuntu.  Perhaps a Friday evening yoga class followed by dinner?

Ubuntu | 1140 Main St., Napa, CA 94559 | 707.251-5656 | ubuntunapa.com