Smores 101

You're killin' me Smalls!!!  We were at a cookout on Saturday night and there were a lot of people that were not sure how to properly make a smore.  Smores are one of the greatest campfire foods you will EVER eat and need to be properly created.  Follow these simple steps and you will be in for a mouthful of chocolaty mallow deliciousness.

Ingredients/tools: Graham crackers, (marsh)mallows, chocolate, fire, sticks to hold the marshmallows

Step 1: First you take the graham
Step 2: Then you take the chocolate (Hershey's is the preferred chocolate but this is totally up to you)
Step 3: You put the chocolate on the graham.
Step 4: Then you take the mallow.
Step 5: Roast the mallow on the stick.
Step 6: When the mallow is flaming, you place the mallow on the chocolate (this will help melt the chocolate).
Step 7: Take the other piece of the graham and cover the mallow/chocolate.
Step 8: Then, you stuff.

There are other variations that can be tried once you become familiar with these steps such as:
- Try changing up the size of the mallow
- Try different types of chocolate
- Add a peanut butter cup instead of the Hershey's bar.
- Be creative...but it's always best to get that mallow flaming so you can get the chocolate (of your choice) melting.  It gets to be a bit messy but it is completely worth it.

Enjoy!  Watch the video below if you have any questions!

Old Coast Road 20 Miler

So that whole taking it easy before my race idea???  Yeah that didn't last long.  One of the guys, Brad, from the running club in town turned 38 and wanted to run the Old Coast Road three times as his present to himself.  The Old Coast Road is the way they traversed the area around what is now home to the Bixby Bridge in Big Sur.  Before the bridge was built in 1932 travelers had to make their way up the steep hills, impassible in times of rain and through the redwoods to go further south on route 1.  The 10-11 mile trail takes you right to Andrew Molera State Park.

Brad had planned on running 30 miles and started at 5:00AM.  I had PLANNED on doing only one stretch, just about 10 miles.  For some reason the night before I couldn't sleep; it may have been the Peets Coffee at 7:00PM but either way I was awake pretty early.  I left for Big Sur around 6:15AM on Saturday morning and rolled in around 7:00AM.  I hadn't planned on showing up until almost 8:30 so that I could finish the last leg with Brad.  I pulled into the parking area (section of dirt off the highway) across from Andrew Molera and was immediately greeted by those early risers that had gotten there a bit before I had.  It just so happened that another guy, Sonny, was just about to head off right as I came strolling in.  I hurriedly got into my running gear and took off with him.  We were about 7 minutes behind Brad who had already finished his first lap and set off for the second one.

This trail is no picnic...it started off straight uphill for about a mile or so and eventually leveled out just to give us a bit of a tease until the next uphill battle.  Brad's girlfriend Lesley was nice enough to be driving around with all sorts of goodies in the back of her truck and set up aid stations every few miles or so.  This saved all of us!  Our first mile took us over 11 minutes of running/hiking straight up and that wasn't even the hardest mile.  After mile 3, and our first aid station we set off for the hard part.  Looking up at the top of the hill you could see the cloud cover and THAT of course is where we were headed!  I think the max elevation was about 1100 plus feet to that spot and that marked mile 6 or so.  It was a brutal climb but we made it and caught up with Brad and a few other guys.

The last four miles were pretty much a cakewalk compared to what we just finished.  We made our way through amazing red woods, along a creek and eventually out to the other end.  It was one of the best views I have seen since being here because we were on the other side of Bixby Bridge that most people don't get to see.  This is the point where I was supposed to STOP, jump in the car and meet up with everyone back at Andrew Molera...yeah right!

Brad took off for his third and final stretch and I wasn't going to let him do it alone.  Sonny and I took off after him and started on our second (and final) leg.  Even though it looked like I had a golfball in the side of my leg where the swelling started to overtake my already beat up achilles I knew I wouldn't get to do this run every day.  The uphills soon turned into extremely fast and steep downhills where I have no brakes or control over my body/speed.  I let gravity pull me down the hills and enjoyed the ride!  There were still some torturous uphills but we fought through them.  We made our way to Lesley's aid station at mile 14 and this is where Brad had to bail (his 24th mile).  He was pretty beat up and hurting quite a bit and nobody could blame him.  Sonny and I on the other hand had only 6 miles to go and wanted to get it over with.

Where we had left that last aid station was at the very peak of the hill so even though there were going to be a couple of smaller hills in our future we still got to enjoy the next couple of miles downhill.  And I mean straight downhill!  I took off on Sonny who was actually controlled as he went down the hills.  Right around mile 16/17 was the next uphill challenge.  As I was crawling up it I came across an older woman who was running up it so I started gaining some momentum from her.  We started talking as we fought uphill in the hot sun and eventually made it to the last aid station just after mile 17.  Here I waited up for Sonny and we finished this biatch off!

The last three miles were mainly downhill with some gradual inclines here and there but again I took off on the downhill.  I raced my way around the hairpin turns and counted down the miles as they passed.  Finally, after 3:25 and finishing up with a 5:50 20th mile I made it back to Andrew Molera park.  The total mileage was 20.25 miles and although it was the toughest 20 miles I have ever run, it was also the best.  The scenery was crazy, changing from open trails, to redwoods, to the hills, to overlooking the ocean...it was all amazing!

There were almost 20 or so people altogether that had run/walked/biked part of the trail.  Afterwards we all headed down to the park and ate brunch...a great way to end the morning and a birthday celebration I was glad to be a part of.  And now I sit here icing my leg as I will continue to do until my race on Saturday.  Everyone keeps asking themselves why we (as runners) punish ourselves...I do it because I love it.  The pain is just temporary but these runs I will remember for a lifetime!

Stand Up Paddleboarding

Have I told you I love California??  A month or so ago I found a Groupon (www.groupon.com) for stand-up paddleboarding in Santa Cruz through this little shop called Tri Shop.  On Friday I got my first lesson!  Our lesson started at 10:15 at Santa Cruz harbor and when we got there it was still a bit chilly.  The mornings are usually cloudier than the afternoons but it eventually cleared up by the time we got on the water.

We met up with our instructor Trudie and joining us was a couple from UCSC.  Trudie gave us a very nice introduction into how the boards and paddles were to be used and showed us how to get into the water from the dock.  We were just going to be in the harbor, which was a great way to get started and get used to standing and the strokes with the paddle.  Everyone got up on their first try and we began getting familiar with the boards.

We eventually made our way away from the dock and paddled towards the end of the marina.  The water was flat and there wasn't a lot of boat traffic so this made it pretty easy to get around.  We learned the basic strokes, how to brake, and a few racing strokes as well.  We learned how to use just our core to get a good workout and take the stress off our shoulders.  Almost an hour or so later we were all pro-SUPers!  Ok so maybe we aren't pros but we still had a blast.  This seems like an activity I can get used to; it's very calming but also a great workout.  I can't wait to do it again, next time in the ocean!

Geography 101

This next blog is for all of you that live outside the ginormous state of California and have absolutely NO idea where any particular city is in the state; mainly in relation to Monterey.  So for all of you that are planning on taking a vacation out here at some point please beware that this state is quite large and trying to fit it all in in one trip is like going on a cruise; you'll only get a little taste of each city and won't get a lot out of any one area.

Monterey, CA is ________ miles away from:

Santa Cruz: 43 miles
San Jose: 72 miles
San Francisco: 118 miles
Muir Woods: 128 miles
Napa/Sonoma: 153 miles/159 miles
Big Sur: 31 miles
Cambria: 103 miles
Pismo Beach: 156 miles
Santa Barbara: 249 miles
Los Angeles: 321 miles
Long Beach: 343 miles
San Diego: 441 miles

Please keep these numbers in mind when you are planning your vacation.  And don't be offended when you say you're coming to San Diego and I pass on the opportunity to see you.  So before you come to the Golden State please plan accordingly!  I hope to see you soon...

Griswold's California Vacation Part II

Saturday morning we woke up with the plan of heading to the Golden Gate Bridge, Muir Woods, and then "wine country."  Our first stop though was for breakfast at the Dipsea Cafe just over the bridge.  This place is stellar for breakfast, I highly recommend it.  I went with biscuits and gravy and they were delicious!  On our way over though there were numerous signs telling us that the parking lot for Muir Woods was full and that we'd have to take a shuttle.  I quickly convinced them that it would be better to just drive up, check it out and if we found a spot, great but if not we could at least see the coast.

Well of course there were no spots available but we did get to drive up route 1, stop at the Muir Beach overlook and endure some really strong winds at the top.   The view from this point is one of my favorites as is the drive as you continue down to Stinson Beach.  We didn't head any further than this though because we wanted to head to Napa.

Once we got to Napa we stopped at the first winery we saw, Viansa in Sonoma.  We all had about four tastings and the women helping us was very nice.  It was incredibly packed though so it wasn't too personal an experience, more of a quick description of what you were getting.  I tried four different reds, all pretty good but nothing worth buying in my opinion.  The winery itself was gorgeous and I was happy to see my Aunt very excited to be there.  She said that was exactly what she was expecting to see in wine country, and she even bought a bottle!

From Viansa we took off looking for another winery, only 20 miles away...or so it was thought.  It turns out that the Blackstone Winery does not exist anymore so no matter how long we look we weren't going to find it.  So we turned around and headed to the first winery we saw up on the left.  I honestly don't even remember the name of this one as we did not do any tastings but instead just stopped in, checked it out and then left for our next stop.

Next stop...the Petrified Forest (Scroll to 3:12)!  Only 20 miles away Nancy says; of course in the wrong direction from Monterey!  We made it to the wood-turned-rock landmark and enthusiastically toured the area for what only took maybe 30 minutes.  At this point though it was almost 4:00 and I needed to start working my way home.  So I took off as they journeyed back to Muir Woods to try and find a spot, walk around and possibly hug a redwood...and even though I wasn't there I heard it was quite the adventure!  I made it home around 8:30, having to stop for gas and food and immediately crashed; it was a long day.

Griswold's California Vacation Part I

I welcomed the Mizzoni's to the great state of California this past week and it was a typical family fun time.  I haven't seen my Aunt, Uncle, or cousins since Christmas so it was a great opportunity to catch up and show them around my new state.  They flew into San Francisco on Thursday night and I was planning to meet up with them Friday morning.

My cousin Mike called me Friday A.M. before I left Monterey and I had hoped to give them some ideas while they awaited my arrival in San Fran.  Mike had said they wanted to see Lombard St.  Ok...but that'll only take you 10 minutes.  I had suggested going to Coit Tower to see the entire city since they were close by, even heading over to Chinatown or North Beach and walk around.  As I got closer to the city I called to check in and instead of taking my advice, and in typical Mizzoni fashion they had decided it best to let everyone drive down Lombard St!  In the hour plus time I had been driving they had literally ONLY driven down Lombard St. (6 times) and walked down it once.  I couldn't believe it!  I said to Mike, "You're in one of the greatest cities in the country, go do something!  Use your smart phone, look at a map, go somewhere!"

Instead they decided to just drive around, eventually park the car at the hotel, and then walk along the water towards Ghiradelli.  I got in around 11:30, parked in the Ghirardelli Square garage, walked out and they were right there (kinda weird).  We caught up as we walked along the water, down a wharf, and then decided it was time for lunch.  We ended up just eating at a local Irish bar because it was outside the craziness of the Pier and wasn't busy at all.  After lunch we worked our way down to Pier 39, got a look at the impressive sea lions and then went down to Alcatraz.

Our Alcatraz tour wasn't until 3:55, we had to meet at 3:20 and we had gotten down to the landing at 2:30.  Instead of waiting around forever we decided to head down Sansome St., eventually making it over to the stairs to Coit Tower.  By the time we had actually decided to do this it was 2:50 so we had to rush up the stairs (quite the workout btw) and after we got to the top we had to turn right around and go back.

We made the Alcatraz tour and it was just as cool the second time, albeit much colder and windier.  I love the stories and the history of the island.  They enjoyed it as well and we even got to see some baby Western gulls!  After Alcatraz we shot over to the Hard Rock Cafe for dinner and then went to the hotel.  The cousins all stayed up for a bit to play some cards and then A.J. (my cousin's BF) and I decided it was time to go out.  Unfortunately nobody else wanted to see at least some of the night life in this great city but we were all for it.

We headed down Columbus and hit up a few places before eventually calling it a night.  It was a great first day with the fam, lacking any sort of preparation or planning, but instead was filled with crazy adventures and spontaneity!!

Bruins Win!

I know I'm almost a week overdue on this one but can you believe it?!!!  Something I honestly NEVER thought I would see in my lifetime came true on June 15, 2011.  The Boston Bruins defeated the Vancouver Canucks 4-0 in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals IN Vancouver, un-be-liev-able!

From the first series my dad kept telling me not to worry which surprised me because he had never before been so optimistic about a New England sports team in the playoffs.  I went down to Peter B's, the local sports bar only a 5 minute walk from my place.  At this point in the playoffs I was considered a regular and new a lot of the other Boston fans that had also come to watch every single game.

I actually showed up a bit later than usual and didn't even have a seat when the puck dropped.  I was late because my boss tried to get me to stay late to tube feed a weedy seadragon (R.I.P.).  This was requested at 4:50...are you kidding?!  "Sorry but I have to go watch history in the making, good luck with the sick fish."  Any other day and I would have gladly stayed but I told her this only happens once every 20 years and I was already late.

The puck drops and from the get-go the B's had increased their level of intensity from the previous games in Canada.  The bad boys were back and they weren't going to let the Canuck's gain any momentum.  Patrice scored the first and what would eventually turn out to be the game-winning goal as Timmy Thomas was a force in net for the B's.  Scoring first allowed the B's to relax and just play hard-nosed hockey and forced Vancouver to play catch up.  It seemed like the Canuck's were hitting watermelon's at Thomas the way he was stopping these goals; absolutely zoned in and a much deserved MVP award.  Rookie Brad Marchand chimed in with two goals, his 10th and 11th of the playoffs, and turned out to be a huge asset in the post-season.

Three game sevens later the Boston Bruins and their 37 year old goalie, 43 year old Asst. Captain, and a whole bunch of young, tough talent brought Lord Stanley's Cup home to Beantown for the city's 7th Championship in 10 years...not too many other cities are spoiled like we are.

Boston...You're My Home!

Way to go B's!

Only 12 days to Los Gatos

Los Gatos???  Yes, a small town just south of San Jose.  I'm running the Sierra Azul Half-Marathon Challenge on July 2nd courtesy of Troy's California Trail Runs (http://www.tctruns.com/).  It is a very small race with up to 100 max and it isn't even a timed race, something I'm unfamiliar with.  I wanted to sign up for something before I went home mid-July so that I could keep up with some training before I take 11 days off.

I wish I could say I was taking this race seriously, but unfortunately I've gotten too comfortable with half-marathons and find it hard at times to become completely focused on racing.  This is 100% trails too so I'm not going to be breaking any PRs here but it'll be a good workout in a beautiful area.

The only hiccup at the moment is that I'm still having some lingering calf/achilles issues and it is putting a damper on my training regimen.  It hurts more afterwards but is still pretty uncomfortable while running.  I've been icing occasionally and taking WAY too much Advil (my stomach is loving it) and along with a couple of deep massages (thanks Megan!) there's not much else I can do before the race.

I'm thinking I'll suck it up until race day, finish out most of my training runs and then I'll have three weeks to heal up and get ready for my training to start again when I get home in late July.  I'll let you know how the race goes!!!

New Additions

Just some quick updates to the blog:

- Weekly Polls
- Each day has a new theme!  Check out the widget on the side.
- Check out some videos on You Tube while you're reading or checking out the blog!  New videos each time!
- Make sure you sign up to get email updates (fill in email address in box under archives)

Blogs to come:
- Work updates (new dives, fish moves)
- Training updates
- Sports updates
- One month till I journey home!

Back to the Streets

Well I took a nice month long break from any form of exercise outside of a couple of trips to the pool, but now it's time to get off my butt and get back on the road.  I don't have any upcoming races in the immediate future, but I have a Tough Mudder in Nor Cal in Sept (http://toughmudder.com/events/norcal2011/) and the Big Sur Half Marathon in November.  But I didn't want to get lazy and I'm still trying to find a race in early July before I go home.  I'm also going to start ocean swimming sometime soon with some of the local swimmers/runners in the toasty 55 (very generous estimate) degree water.

So after watching the Fighter (finally) I grabbed my training calendar and scheduled out my workouts for the next 5-6 weeks.  This training session will involve running, swimming, and strength training at the gym.  I know the Tough Mudder is a ways away but I don't want to wait until August to have to train for the toughest race on the planet!!  This training plan will hopefully give me all-around workouts allowing me to endure whatever it is they are going to throw at us; whether it be mud, fire, barbed wire, climbing walls, or jumping into freezing cold water.

Yesterday was day one and it was just an easy 3 miler just to get my legs moving and heart pumping again.  I'm still having some calf/achilles issues so I'm a bit cautious but I think I'll just need to ice as needed.  Of course I say it was easy but I was definitely pushing myself harder than I was supposed to...oh well.  My legs felt pretty good for not having done much for four weeks.  Today was a 45 minute run followed by an hour at the gym; the first time I had lifted weights in a VERY long time.  I'll keep you all updated on how it is going as I'm looking forward to getting back on track with not only my running but my diet and sleep!!

Go Bruins!