Inspiring Doesn't Describe It

The world's oldest marathon runner has decided to hang up his shoes today, after completing a 10K in Hong Kong in 1 hour and 32 minutes. He is 101 years old.

That, in itself, gives a person reason to pause and do some serious inner reflection. However, there is even more to it than that.

Fauja Singh, the Indian born runner who now lives in London, has not been a runner his whole life. He spent the majority of his life as a farmer, and took up running at 89 years old in the face of tragedy. He'd lost his wife and his son, and says that running gave him purpose and a sense of peace.

Who couldn't use a large dose of that?

Top Ten Things I Learned in New Orleans

10) That the Voodoo Queen, Marie Laveau, viewed Voodoo as an extension of Catholicism. I've never followed up with fact-checking from the Vatican, but I am thinking they are in disagreement.

9) That my favorite bar in the world is on the corner of Bourbon Street and St. Philip, and was built around 1722. It was used as a base for Jean Lafitte's Barataria smuggling ring, and he is still hanging around haunting the place (The governor posted a $500 reward for the capture of Lafitte. Lafitte, in turn, posted a $1500 reward for the capture of the governor). The bartender pours strong drinks, and my date asked me out for another after finishing the very first one...

8) It has been said that the key ingredient to "The Best Sandwich in America" is the olive mix used in making the Muffaletta, but I beg to differ. The key ingredient to ANY sandwich is the bread, and with the wrong bread, even "The Best Sandwich in America" is not yummy.

I'll Miss the Dragon

February 9, 2013 marks the last day of the year according to the Chinese zodiac. When we wake up on the 10th, the Year of the Snake will commence. Focus. Discipline. Slow, continuous improvement. Attention to detail. That is what the Snake asks of us in the upcoming year.

And that's all good and well, I'm sure it will serve good purpose (Really? A whole YEAR of that??) Perhaps my blogs will truly begin to show a regular pattern of writing. My training runs might actually be able to IMPROVE my trail running times rather than being put off to bake a cheesecake. Achieving the nine goals that I wrote down for myself on January 1...those all have the potential of coming to fruition. I suppose there is potential here.

But ohhh how I will miss the Dragon that we are leaving behind. Dramatic events, full of unpredictability and fun. Dragon years are fantastically lucky ones with regard to new relationships. The advice for the past year had Dragon telling us to relax and enjoy ourselves. The Dragon Year was also full of generosity, good will, and extravagant food in front of us.

Confusion Surrounding the Upcoming Season

I am relieved to let you know that the "healthy eating habit" you have been so virtuously adhering to since January 1, 2013 is rapidly drawing to a close. The seemingly long hiatus between unhealthy eating seasons is, mercifully, almost over.

We had our warm up junk food fix with Halloween, small break, then the pure gluttony of Thanksgiving. Once Thanksgiving hits, it's pretty much fat, carbs, and sugar throughout the month of December, ending on New Year's Day with a groan and a horrified gasp from atop the bathroom scale. Three weeks have passed now, and I have to admit I've had some pretty amazing salads along with a meal of fantastically prepared fried rice (okay, there was bacon in it).

What season is upon us? You're seriously asking? Tsk tsk. Why, it's Girl Scout Cookie Season, of course. And, provided all of the boxes arrive safely home (they will be traveling dangerously close to a registered Tag Along addict), there will be Trefoils stacked to the ceiling. I am creating a map of hiding spots in the house complete with a decoder as soon as I've finished sharing my confusion with you.

Vampires and Politicians

I am curious what images come to your mind when you hear the word "smugglers" enter into a conversation. Do you envision Captain Jack Sparrow stumbling toward you, asking why all the rum is gone? Or recall the last article you read on all of the drugs making their way past border patrol and into our country? Or if you're an Agatha Christie fan, maybe you remember wondering whether or not Valerie Hobhouse was indeed a part of that smuggling ring on Hickory Road...

I am fairly certain that I can tell you what image does NOT come to your mind. Garlic.

Yes, I mean the fundamental ingredient in many favorite recipes, including my favorite spread on baguettes (which, since the masked bandits have been rounded up, I have appropriately renamed Oven Roasted Garlic Smugglers).

Garlic, it seems, has been quite a hot ticket amid the European Union for the past few years, but as breaking news will tell you, the criminal masterminds are now safely behind bars. You can rest more easily now, I'm sure.

The Light at the End of the Trail

Fortunately for me, my love for food is matched by my love for trail running. It somehow manages to balance things out, quite literally. Except during holiday season, when all running seems to halt and is replaced by cookie exchanges, extravagant meals, and intensely high levels of saturated fat.

This holiday season was extraordinary in many ways. The food was incredible. The time spent with family, unparalleled. The culminating event of the vacation...well, I can't clearly remember how that ended up to be a part of the schedule. And for a brief moment mid-way through, I questioned my sanity level.

January 5, we'd somehow decided, would be a fantastic opportunity to run a 25K trail race in the mountains of West Virginia. Somewhere between mouthfuls of End of the World Cheesecake and Christmas Dinner Beef Wellington, I heard my own little inner voice crying out desperately..."You're running 15 miles in 11 days!" I was sure to drown that silly little voice out with crab and artichoke stuffed mushrooms as quickly as possible.