Every once in a while, the stars align just right…
and a perfect Saturday is born.
This Saturday began with the 21st Annual Pride Run at the park across from my condo.
There was a special buzz in the air following the news that New York joined a growing number of states extending the basic right of marriage to all of its citizens.
I’ve run this race 3x so far and it continues to be one of my favorites. The course is great, it’s well-organized, the runners are friendly, and it gets strong crowd support. Even the police blocking off the streets cheer the runners on!
This year’s race solidified the event’s place in my heart… it marks the first time I placed in the Top 3 Females Overall!
I earned 3rd place overall and 1st in my division!!!
Stats:
- Distance – 3.14 miles
- Time – 23:41 mins
- Pace – 7:45 mins
I have NO idea where that came from, but OMG I was thrilled!!!
Post-race I walked across the park for some raw milk (I know it’s controversial… but it does have benefits and it tastes like a milkshake!), farm eggs, and peaches. There is nothing more delicious than local, fresh food.
The afternoon was filled with softball and some quick pre-reunion weight lifting.
At the reunion I saw some people I was looking forward to reconnecting with, which was nice. Overall… I don’t know what I expected, but was just ok. High school seems like a lifetime ago, and it wasn’t the best of times for me.
In true foodie fashion, dinner was the best part of the night.
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A small group of old classmates (we are now good friends) – myself, Mallory (my BFF), Greg (her husband), and Laura (another friend) – all met for a pre-reunion dinner at Bocado (887 Howell Mill Road NW, Atlanta, GA 30318, 404-815-1399).
Thank god because the only food they served at the event was a cold tray of chicken nuggets.
Bocado has been on my “to try” list for far too long. Several have contended that they serve the best burger in Atlanta; however, the other menus items are the real standouts.
My jalapeno-infused tequila cucumber martini was light and clean tasting. The flavors were perfectly balanced – a great start to dinner on this hot day.
We enjoyed our drinks with a cheese plate made up of:
- Purple Haze (goat, California)
- Humboldt (goat, California)
- Ewephoria (sheep, Holland)
Our cheeses were served with radishes, cranberries, honey, and perfect crusty bread slices. I say perfect because often toasted bread is so saturated in olive oil or butter that it becomes a chewy, greasy mess. These slices were brushed with just enough olive oil to compliment the flavors.
For dinner Laura and I ordered small plates to share.
These were the best Fried Green Tomatoes I have EVER had. Normally I’m not a huge fan due the the soggy, greasy nature of the dish.
The chef’s interpretation of the dish did not suffer from this affliction. The tomatoes were cut into spears and battered in corn meal, leaving them crisp and relatively light. They were served over a bed of greens and radishes with hot sauce and a buttermilk herb dressing.
Our Beet Salad was served in a bowl with farro, orange segments, fennel, toasted hazelnuts, avocado, and goat cheese. The flavors played together quite well.
Toasted hazelnuts added a dimension to the more typical beet-orange-goat cheese combo. I especially enjoyed the different textures – the crunch of the nuts with the slightly chewy farro and creamy avocado and goat cheese.
The Burrata was the one dish that I wasn’t impressed with. The eggplant caponata on top was great, but the burrata itself was a bit too rubbery. It was the only dish we didn’t finish. However, it was served with a kalamata olive country toast that was delicious.
Our waiter highly recommended the Summer Squash Salad. As advertised, it was very good. My only complaint is the heavy hand on the olive oil. The squash was delicious and the cherry tomatoes were some of the best I’ve had this season.
Mallory and Greg both ordered the infamous burger. It was quite good. As good as Holeman & Finch? My vote is YES… but it’s very close.
The burger is served with house-made herbed french fries and a side of a buttermilk herb sauce. I’m not a HUGE french fry eater and I could have eaten an entire plate of these.
For dessert we chose a Banana Bread Cake layered with chocolate ganache and cinnamon icing.
We hated it.
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Several other bloggers have begun posting recaps of the previous week’s workouts. I love the idea – if for no other selfish reason than to have a reference for myself to look back at.
Workout Recap (6/20-26)
- Monday – 4 mile run, 84 push-ups
- Tuesday – P90X Ab Ripper X, 84 push-ups
- Wednesday – Triceps/Chest, 3.5 mile run
- Thursday – 4.5 mile run, 84 push-ups
- Friday – P90X Ab Ripper X, 15 mile bike ride, 84 push-ups
- Saturday – 5K, softball, 30 mins upper body weights, 84 push-ups
- Sunday – Softball, P90X Ab Ripper X, 84 push-ups
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I never was a cornflake girl…
Was high school a good experience for you?
Do you like when bloggers post workout recaps?
YOou ar e sooo speedy! Great job, Laura! 🙂
That dinner looks amazing – from start to finish!! Congrats on your race!!!
Woo Hoo! Nothing like leaving a race with hardware! Congratulations!
Congrats on the race!!!!
I’m with you on the deliciousness of raw milk. One of my students last year lived on a farm and brought me some fresh cow’s milk once, and man alive it was GOOD.
i need to investigate this idea of banana bread cake…and the beet salad as well. So many ideas churning…
So very proud of you, speedster! Your improvements are inspiring. Glad the reunion wasn’t “bad”. Mine wasn’t anything to write home about.
Well done with the race! That’s totally inspiring 🙂 My big workout on Saturday was bathing the dogs…
My 10 year reunion was last May. It was loads of fun, but also a little weird. The most interesting thing was how fast everyone started acting like they were back in high school again.
I don’t think I’m going to make it to my 10 year reunion this year, I wasn’t a huge fan of high school either and the people I still talk to are the ones I really care about (which I realize might sound mean, but it’s true…). Isn’t that what facebook is for now anyways? 🙂
Woahhhh a jalapeno-infused tequila cucumber martini sounds amazing!!! I love martinis, but I’ve never had anything like that!
My high school was too small to have a reunion!
Those fried tomatoes look aahmazing. That is an awesome running time BTW.
Congrats on an amazing race! Your meal looked wonderful and your workout recap is quite the motivating one. You made me laugh because I issued myself a Pushup Challenge for this week. I need to get 200 pushups done this week BUT you did 504! Holy cows lady! No wonder you have ripped arms 😀
Yay New York! Setting a good example for the rest of the states! Good to hear your reunion went well. I’m not sure I’ll go to mine if there is one next year, high school was not a fun time for me.
Oh wow! Thats an AMAZING time and 3rd place overall!! 🙂 Well done girl! You rock!! High school wasn’t the best time for me, not the worst but definitely not the best! And I don’t mind when bloggers post workout recaps… it definitely inspires me to pull my finger out when I go training! 🙂 Congrats again on the race!
High school wasn’t all that awesome for me either. My life keeps getting better year-after-year, except for maybe age 5, I think that was probably a good one. 🙂 ha
Congrats on the race. That’s really something to be proud of!
Eh, high school was alright. Nothing special.
I do like recaps and I often post mine, though I’ve been forgetting lately.
Congrats on placing and so good to hear that the stars aligned for you!!!!
Woot!! Congrats on your finish – that’s quite the accomplishment 🙂
I’m pretty neutral about the workout recapping – although (since your asking) I find recapping body rock workouts (daily) to the exact interval, to be extremely annoying – I mean, it’s one thing to say, hey I did body rock today – but to post every last detail? I’m like, save it for your journal!
GREAT job on the race!!! Nothing beats local food.. yum 🙂
Maybe one day I’ll be able to catch you – LOL!
That cheese plate looks foodgasmic.
that cake looks…amazing!
and also the drink, now that is creative!
Umm…I don’t even know what to say about this post…so many delicious eats!!! And congrats on your race, speed racer!!!
Congrats on your race, speedy!
I actually liked high school a fair amount. I had my own circle of friends and although I wasn’t super popular, I was well-liked. I went to my 10 year reunion and it was okay. I kind of didn’t really care that much about seeing people that I hadn’t kept in touch with. Plus, with Facebook, it’s like you already know what everyone is up to anyway.
Totally agree about FB!
Congrats on your race! That is awesome! And again, the pictures of your dinner make me hungry (and jealous!).