HI!!! Life has been extremely busy over here. Leading up to this past Sunday, my focus had been on gearing up for The Falmouth Road Race which took place Sunday, August 12th.

The Falmouth Road Race is a very prestigious, extremely exciting, 7-mile road race with absolutely breathtaking ocean views! It is Cape Cod’s largest sporting event, and it is the epitome of what one would imagine a ‘Cape Cod Race’ to be. The crowds were just spectacular. The streets were lined with locals cheering on runners for the entire 7 miles. Lot’s of homes had there hoses out to spray down the runners, others had music playing. The spectators really make this race special. From the site: “The New Balance Falmouth Road Race celebrates its 40h running this year and the spirit which made the first Falmouth so special is still present today. More than 11,000 runners will gather in Woods Hole for the 2012 renewal, including many of the world’s elite, though the essence of the event remains a fun run. Back-of-the-pack joggers share the road with the best, forming a tapestry of colors from the start on Water Street to the finish at the beach in Falmouth Heights.”

After a glorious night of drinking and amazing food at the Naked Oyster on Main Street in Hyannis, here are my splits:

I love numbers and statistics when it comes to my running. Yes, I am that kind of runner haha But I only compete against myself. I’ve really enjoyed tracking my improvement over the past year and a half. Running to me, is a solitary sport and on race day, when we are all brought together, I think it makes us all feel a part of something greater.

Mile 1: 7:55
Mile 2: 7:52
Mile 3: 7:38
Mile 4: 7:22
Mile 5: 7:36
Mile 6: 7:25
Mile 7: 7:28

Finish: 53:46
Average pace: 7:41
Overall place: 948 out of 10951
Gender place: 230 out of 5418
Age group place: 174 out of 2886

This seriously amazed me. I run every day and drink wine every night. So I mean come on, I’m certainly not training ‘seriously’. Though, one could argue that what works for one person may not work for another. I have only seen improvements in my running so I see no need to change my habits. Yes, of course I want to become a better runner (maybe semi- competitive one day, like placing in the top-10 for females at a local race). I know that if I want to see truly significant improvements from where I am at now… I’ll have to make some changes. Until then, I am very happy with where I am at! My only real goal for this race (besides finishing!) was to finish in under an hour. I secretly wished for 55:00 but I didn’t think it would be at all possible considering I pretty much over OVER trained, had a late night, enjoyed a few (or more… oops!) glasses of wine, and was in a miserable mood the morning of the race because of the pouring rain I figured I would be trudging though. But I was committed to this race through and through and enjoyed every last minute of it!

This is a really well-written article from Running Times written by a high school runner. It’s short and sweet and hits the nail on the head. What she writes really resonated with me. I even have it plastered on my fridge at home!

So. I’ve been really antsy lately. Antsy to move my life forward and get things started! Naturally, attempting to accomplish 1088372 things, and put all of my energy into each and every single one of these projects, has burned me out. To a crisp. And unfortunately, by striving to give 100% to so many demanding projects, they all suffer. It’s just not realistic to think that I can give everything I’ve got to so many different things all at once. I tend to spread myself very thin which leaves little time for relaxing and recharging. I have very little steam left in this engine. But still, I find myself piling up my plate with new projects, willingly, only to get disappointed in myself that I haven’t been able to follow through, or that the end results weren’t what I had imagined. It’s unnecessary, self inflicted stress. So, I’m trying to take it one step at a time right now. This certainly isn’t easy for me as I’m definitely a gogogo kind of person and really love multi-tasking, having plenty of goals and things to work on and things to look forward to. But I’m sick of the things I want to accomplish not manifesting fully into reality because I’ve tried to do too much. This always results in being completely unproductive, with half finished projects scattered all over the proverbial floor.

Heh, rant over!

Fast forward to:

The night before the race! Andrew and I bar hopped, perused Main Street in Hyannis, and enjoyed a really fabulous late night dinner. Exactly what you’re supposed to do the night before a race that is really important to you.

I’m pretty obsessed with Caesar salads, especially at nice restaurants that prepare crisp romaine with real homemade Caesar dressing. Pile on the anchovies please!

Evil grin? Bashful? I’m going with evil. In either case, Andrew said this was one of the best clam chowders he has ever eaten.
For dinner I got the Marlin special. I wish I had taken a picture! I adore Marlin. It is very similar to Swordfish but lacks that dark meat. Andrew enjoyed sauteed Thai jumbo wild shrimp bok choy, snow peas, roasted cashews & spicy peanut sauce served over lo mein. He enjoyed every last bite. The sauce was incredible. It inspired me to make shrimp with peanut sauce one of the nights!

The next morning was rough. I was exhausted and it was pouring. In a nutshell, we left the hotel at 6:30AM, and Andrew drove me to the bus pick-up which was fairly close to the finish. The buses chauffeured rain soaked (many runners cleverly turned trash bags into homemade ponchos!) to the start of the race in Woods Hole. I got there at about 8:30 for a 10AM start. So needless to say I made some friends while waiting! Luckily, the clouds parted ways just in time for the race.

The race ended at Falmouth Heights Beach. After crossing the finish, we were all corralled towards a large field where there was plenty of food and refreshments including a seemingly endless supply of Yasso frozen Yogurt! Andrew actually saw me cross the finish line (this isn’t always an easy thing for friends and family to accomplish)! So, it took him a bit to get to the field to meet me so we could bounce. We both really wanted to avoid any sort of Cape Cod traffic that was sure to be magnified to the 10th degree with all of the race traffic combined with tourist traffic. I grew up on Cape Cod and I know just how horrific it can be. We walked about 2 miles back to his car, spotted a baby snapper, I cleaned up a bit, and we got the hell outta Dodge!

this little guy was slowly making his way into the street! Andrew safely placed little Snappy into the brush. I can’t believe that Andrew spotted the little guy! He looked like a rock!

We left the Cape almost entirely traffic free. I call that a miracle. We were both extremely hungry so we grabbed lunch right outside Boston at Joe’s American Bar and Grill… where I had wine, and waaaaait for it, a shrimp Caesar salad! I’m so not predictable. Oh, and just and FYI, they have a TON of gluten free options including gluten free breads and rolls, pasta, and even gluten free pizza! the rolls were very, very delicious. A bit cake-like and less chewy than wheat bread but rich in flavor and awesome warm with butter.

Once home, I showered, unpacked, started on some laundry, did a little food shopping, and then planted my butt outside with some Barbera and The Corrections. I have tried getting into this book over the past few months and I just cannot. I don’t think Jonathan Franzen’s style is for me. He just seems to go on and on and on with so much filler that doesn’t really seem to add to the actually story telling. I find myself having to re-read paragraphs constantly. Anyone else feel this way? I feel like I should be taking notes in the margin. I just can’t get lost in this book.

Over the past month, I’ve been having a lot of fun in the kitchen but I have neglected taking many pictures. One of my very favorite tings to do is to cook for my family and friends.

A few weeks ago I made Chicken Tikka Masala for Andrew and Ben. I can take or leave Indian food. It’s not that I don’t like it, it’s just that I never crave it and usually just prefer other flavors. Andrew on the other hand, loves Indian food. I made the Cook’s Illustrated version of Chicken Tikka Masala which ended up being a big hit! I found the recipe here. Though I don’t absolutely love Indian food, I really, really enjoy cooking it! The kitchen smelled amazing and it was really fun working with all the spices. I like the methodical approach you need to take with many Indian dishes. I also made Basmati rice with Tumeric, butter, and peas as well as The Food in My Beard’s homemade Naan. SUCH a great recipe! If you want to make Naan at home I HIGHLY recommend using Dan’s recipe.

Other happenings:

A lovely dinner hosted by our friends Erin and Neal. They made a delicious Italian meal and were super sweet and accomodating and made me some gluten free pasta :D

I wanted to bring a dessert but ended up with a huge fail the night before so I ended up making this right before we headed over to their place. haha I don’t even know what to call it. I made gluten free vanilla coconut flour cupcakes with buttery gluten free graham cracker crusts, and filled them with mini marshmallows. Though delicious, they were just so ugly I decided to make a dessert plate of sorts out of them. I can’t decide if it made the dessert look better or worse. I plated the cupcakes and garnished the plate with melted Simply Lite chocolate, natural mini marshmallows, and gluten free graham crackers. Not my best presentation but it tasted pretty darn good.

After moving to Watertown in June, we have been slowly exploring our new town’s culinary ‘scene’. Only to discover, there really isn’t a scene. But, there are a handful of good restaurants scattered about and a few local bars that are very, local. In the best possible way of course ;) My Sister used to live in Watertown and recommended La Casa De Pedro for it’s fun atmosphere, fabulous drinks (If it’s not wine, it’ a margarita for me!) and outdoor seating. We met our friends Kristy and Gary out on a dreary Wednesday night but had a great time! We sat at the bar with two rounds of margarita’s (AMAZING BTW), and enjoyed a delicious late night dinner. I got a lovely salad topped with avocado and a haddock dish which included plantains. I <3 plantains! They were definitely the highlight of the dish. The fish may have been slightly overcooked but not so much that it deterred from the meal. I cannot wait to go back on nice night so we can sit outside! It has a really fun, tropical/latin vibe, fresh, flavorful food, it's affordable, and they make excellent margaritas. What more can you ask for?

Nubar has been a new favorite drink spot in Harvard Square. Andrew and I actually ate there for Valentine’s Day. They have $5 wine specials on Tuesdays and Thursdays, roasted chickpea bar snacks, and a beautiful gas fireplace (awesome for the cooler months). It is in the Sheraton and tucked away just enough so that it’s never overly crowded. It always feels like that ‘special spot’.

Me with the lovely Laurie Catigan!

Despite the $5 wine specials, I of course had to order a cocktail.

On this particular night, Joe and Andrew met me and Laurie about an hour after we got there….

Let’s just say that the drinks kept flowing, and flowing….and flowing….

Andrew require this meal for brunch at Russell House Tavern the day after….

Perfect.

Oh, is that a shrimp Caesar salad? More perfection. Look how plump those shrimp are! They were perfectly chilled too. Plus, LOCAL wine from Westport Vineyards on tap.

My family rented a house on the water in Gloucester for a couple weeks that had breathtaking views! Sam and Andrew and I were able to head up twice.

Rockport is right next to Gloucester and we basically spent most of our visits there. I instantly fell in love with Rockport. Downtown Rockport is lined with art galleries, fun boutiques, ice cream shops, and restaurants. This seaside town really reminded me of living back home on Cape Cod.

The Cummings clan can be little weird at times haha

Sisters both in unplanned animal prints!

I have so much <3 for vanilla. I find vanilla to be a far cry from 'plain'! Vanilla is a such a strong flavor and vanilla ice cream/soft serve/frozen yogurt is the perfect match for chocolate sprinkles…. EXTRA chocolate sprinkles.

Enjoyed meandering around Rockport. Of course my Sister and I stopped into every single shop… we just had to. Andrew was a good sport ;) Oh, and BTW, that red mark on my hand is a kayaking battle wound haha

We have the BEST Padre!

As of late:

My breakfasts are pretty much always the same. Greek yogurt (or sometimes whipped cottage cheese with Green Vibrance, puffed rice, freeze dried bananas (LOVE the crunch!), fresh berries, and a big spoonful of a nut butter. A few times a month I’ll do overnight oats in a jar.

Lunch usually comes in two parts. A cottage cheese bowl with carrots and kiwi, and a kombucha and a protein bar.


The Think Thin Chocolate Espresso bar is an old standby. Seriously tastes like a mocha brownie… but with 20 grams of protein!

I am really loving the new lower sugar Promax Bars. They are all natural, stevia sweetened, and have 14 grams of fiber, 18 grams of protein, and are full of vitamins and minerals. Notably, they are loaded with iron. Most importantly, they taste AWESOME.

I’m also loving the new Nugo bars. Not quite as delicious as the Think Thin or Promax bars… but the stats are pretty good and they are in the same camp as the other bars as far as functionality. Does that even make sense?

And lastly: I have been reading a ton. I plowed through these three books over the last couple of weeks. Each book had characters that I completely fell in love with and could relate to. I didn’t want the stories to end! I will write a post about these books soon!

Maine by J. Courtney Sullivan

Commencement also by J. Courtney Sullivan

Back When We Were Grownups by Anne Tyler

The Cummings Sister’s new favorite hang out: Bokx109 in the Indigo Hotel in Newton.

Cheers until next time!