2014 Doug Flutie 5K Training (Week 6)

D o u g   F l u t i e   5 K  T r a i n i n g

S t a t u s   R e p o r t

 

Training is on-going. So far to day I have run 19.78 total miles since I started training with only 2.4 miles this week. I didn't run any of my scheduled runs this week either because of the intense heat or just exhaustion. For more information visit the Doug Flutie Foundation, or Doug Flutie 5k Info and Sign-up page

	Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
7/20	Off	Off	Bravo	Off	Bravo	1.42mi	Off
7/27	1.42mi	Off	Bravo+.87mi	1.41mi	Bravo+.87mi	1.42mi	Off
8/3	1.49mi	Off	400R+.50mi	1.50mi	400R+.50mi	Off	1.50mi
8/10	1.44mi	Off	Bravo	1.75mi	Bravo	Skip	Off
8/17	Skip	Off	Bravo+1.2mi	1.80mi	Bravo+1.2mi	Skip	Off
8/24	Skip	Off	Bravo+1mi	Skip	Bravo+1.4mi	Skip	Off
8/31	RUN	Off	Bravo	RUN	Bravo	RUN	Off
9/7	RUN	Off	Bravo	RUN	Bravo	RUN	Off
9/14	RUN	Off	Bravo	RUN	Bravo	RUN	Off
9/21	RUN	Off	Bravo	RUN	Bravo	RUN	Off
9/28	RUN	Off	Bravo	Off	RUN	Off	Off
D o u g   F l u t i e   5 K  R a c e   D a y  O c t o b e r   5 t h ,   2 0 1 4

8/24: Skipped Run Day: letting my shin's try to recover.

8/26: Crossfit Style AMRAP. 25 Minutes AMRAP 10 Wall Balls, 10 Mountain Climbers, 10 Air Squats, 10 Pushups & 200m Run. Same routine as last week. What made it hard was the temperature. It was 81° and humid outside which made it much harder however. I completed 8 full rounds including the total 1 mile of running.

8/27: With temperatures hovering about 90° and humidity up high I decided it wasn't a good idea to run.

8/28: Crossfit Style AMRAP. 25 Minutes AMRAP 10 Wall Balls, 10 Mountain Climbers, 10 Air Squats, 10 Pushups & 200m Run.I completed 11 cycles which means 1.4 miles of running. 

8/29: I decided to not run today to let my shins heal and to catch up on some much needed rest.

Week 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | Race Day

Worcester Art Museum

Early in the summer the Worcester Art Museum, also known by its acronym WAM, announced that it would offer free admission for the entire month of August.

As a young kid I spent lots of time in the museum. My parents enrolled my brother and in in the school vacation art sessions every year. We made all kinds of interesting artwork mimicking some famous artist selected for the class. Living nearby has its conveniences and I decided that I would make the effort to visit this world class museum once again.

The Worcester Art Museum houses over 35,000 works of art dating from antiquity to the present day, representing cultures from all over the world. The WAM opened in 1898 in Worcester, Massachusetts, and is the second largest art museum in New England. The institution, founded by Stephen Salisbury III "for the benefit of all the people".  In 1905, Stephen Salisbury died and left the "bulk" of his five million-dollar estate to the museum.

The Worcester Art Museum continued to grow and slowly gathered a world-class art collection. The WAM became the first museum in the United States to purchase works by Claude Monet as well as Paul Gauguin.

We started our visit in Renaissance Court admiring the museum's treasured Antioch mosaics. The centerpiece of Renaissance Court is the impressive Worcester Hunt mosaic unearthed in 1936 during the excavation of the ancient city of Antioch.

Just off the Renaissance Court is the fully intact 12th century Chapter House. It was the first medieval building move from Europe to the United States.  As a kid I can remember this room as one of my favorites. It is one of the places that evoked my interest in traveling by taking me a continent away in my very own back yard.

This chapter house is from the Benedictine Priory of Saint John at Le Bas-Nueil and its ceiling is the most significant architectural feature. It is divided into six compartments of quadripartite vaults supported by two monolithic columns. Its symmetry has always fascinated and inspired me.

After enjoying the Charter House we moved on to the medieval galleries where an early 13th century French sarcophagus now sits. Also included is a copper gilt Crozier Head designed to top a bishop’s staff. It spirals around ending with a serpents head.

Next to the Medieval gallery is a small Egyptian exhibition which includes a few impressive pieces such as a statue of Hapidefai and a sandstone relief of Prince Arikankharer Slaying His Enemies from the first century AD. No Egyptian exhibit would be complete without a bronze statue of a cat.  The Cat depicts Bastet who is believed to reveal himself in the form of a cat.

Another impressive exhibition is the Chinese and Asian art. Some of the pieces that really impressed me was the Large Basin of Nephrite with a design of Five Dragons. Another that I loved reminded me of a Jar my family has covered in Plum Blossom’s. Other typical styles like a table screen with a Mountain Landscape carved intricately into a pale green nephrite and a Tang Horse and a Chinese Warrior made of terracotta were amazing.

Next we made our way up the grand staircase to the [remastered] exhibit.  The [remastered] exhibit purpose is to give the museums 16th to 18th century holdings and its visitors a fresh new look at some of the impressive lineup of great masters like El Greco, Rembrandt, and Bernardo Strozzi.

Next we moved on to the new special exhibition called ‘Knights”. This new exhibit is a fraction of the Higgins Armory collection which is now housed in the Hiatt Wing after its acquisition when the Higgins Armory closed last year.

While it only had a few full sets up armor on display it didn’t disappoint. It has numerous helmets and many swords on display. It also included a more modern knight. It had a full Batman costume as worn by Michael Keaton in the Tim Burton 1989 Batman film. One of the coolest features of this exhibit was the armor glove that visitors could try on.

 

The Contemporary Gallery is currently set up as a temporary exhibit and included a few unique pieces such as “Me as a Pendant” and another more grotesque one called “Treats” which is a fusion of synthetic flesh and teeth by artist Rona Pondick. It was a huge number of these little critters covering a white box on the floor.

The next two galleries we visited reminded me of home. It was the American Decorative Arts and the Early American galleries which were filled with early American furniture, portraits and landscapes of a less developed nation. Some of the pieces we saw were from the collection of Stephen Salisbury and we saw replicas of them when we visited the Salisbury Mansion. There was also a beautiful marble statue of a cupid riding on the back of a tortoise called “Cupid Bound” They also have an impressive collection of Tiffany glass and a few Willard Clocks. One such stunning example was a Aaron Willard tall clock.

The next exhibit which I had a great appreciation for was the Jeppson Idea Lab where they displayed two recent portraits that had been restored. The portraits of William James and Elizabeth James by William Hogarth were purchased in 1909 and were the first Hogarth paintings acquired by an American museum. After nearly a century on display they were no longer a fair representation of the artist’s skills. After an extensive restoration these paintings were brought back to their former glory.

Every museum has a few iconic pieces that no matter where or who seems them they are instantly recognizable. The Modern Art exhibit just such a piece. Known around the world for his unique pieces is Andy Warhol. The Worcester Art Museum has Cambell’s Tomato Soup Can.

On the fourth floor of the museum is the Pre Columbian Collection. It includes some amazing artifacts such as the ceramic Animal Head from the State of Veracruz. Another favorite piece of mine is the ceramic Pot-bellied Dog figure from the State of Colima. Other impressive pieces include gold Eagle Pendants and a large Mayan carved column of a Warrior with Two Dwarf Attendants from the state of Campeche.

Across the hall from the Pre-Columbian gallery is the American Modernism exhibit. It contains some of the most impressive works of art in the museum’s collection. It includes a Winslow Homer piece depicting the “Coast in Winter” It also included some other impressive pieces like a pewter water fountain by Carl Miles.

While only a small fraction of the museum’s 35,000 piece collection is on display what makes it even more impressive is that it all started with a small tract of land and a 100,000 in cash and plaster casts of antique and renaissance sculptures in 1898.
 

Task 42 - French Techniques at Home Cooking Class (Sur La Table)

Yet another cooking class at Sur La Table. As many people know I have a part time job at the store and often take advantage of the opportunity to take classes in addition to picking up some great kitchen items. This time I took French Techniques at Home with Chef Betsy Proom. Betsy is one of my favorite chefs because her patient even demeanor and energetic personality makes even the most inexperienced person feel like they too can cook up a full three course meal without a struggle and get excited about it.

I choose this class because of the fantastic menu. The menu consisted of a Tomato and Goat Cheese Tart, Grilled Asparagus with a Caper Vinaigrette, Pan Roasted Chicken with Ratatouille, and a Raspberry Soufflé. The menu was a little different than those I had taken in the past. I was most eager to learn a few new tricks to take home with me especially the tart and soufflé.  One thing I have learned in all the classes I have taken it at while cooking a big meal like this with all those moving parts might seem daunting but when you break it all down into individual recipes they are pretty simple.  Prep work is also a key to a smooth meal.

We started with the Tomato and Goat Cheese Tart shortcrust. From hand we prepared our dough using just all purpose flour, kosher salt, unsalted butter and some cold water in a food processor. Once properly combined we rolled it out until it was about ¼” thick and formed it into our tart pan. Next we sautéed our onions and garlic and once tender we mixed in a little lemon zest and spread that across the bottom of the tart pan and then added a layer of fresh sliced tomatoes. Finally we combined our eggs, sour cream, milk and basil. Once mixed we added it to our tart pan covering everything else.  All this went into a preheated 375-degree oven. It cooked for about 25 minutes. The key to knowing its done is the jiggle test. It should be firm and not jiggle.

Next we focused on the Ratatouille portion of our main entrée. The kitchen staff had already begun part of the process since you have to let it stand. They cut up our eggplant into ½” cubes and tossed it with salt. This pulls out the excess moisture which drained out the bottom of the colander. Once the drained we rinsed and dried our eggplant. We took over by sautéing it in a large skillet until tender and added a chopped onion and pepper. Once all that was tender we stirred in our garlic and zucchini and let is stew for about 20-25 minutes. Just before serving we added some fresh basil.

As our ratatouille stewed we took this opportunity to pull our tart from the oven and have a little bite to eat before we continued on to the dessert prep. The tart was light and tasty and the pastry crust was buttery and flakey just like it should be. It was a delicious start to our evening of eating.

After finishing our tart we moved onto our dessert. In a food processor we pureed our fresh raspberries. Then strained out the seeds and simmered to get the mixture to thicken. Then we took 3 egg whites and whipped them to a soft peak adding a bit of salt and sugar. Next we took our raspberry and carefully folded it into our egg whites. Once combined we poured the mixture into our lightly buttered and sugared ramekins.  We added these to the still pre-heated oven and let them cook for about 10 minutes.

As those cooked we began to prepare our caper vinaigrette for our grilled asparagus.  We combined our finely diced shallots, lemon juice, vinegar, mustard and garlic. Once well mixed we added our olive oil slowly and mixed until emulsified. Then using my favorite kitchen tool the skinny grill we grilled our asparagus with just a little canola oil. Once cooked al dente we set aside to cool.


Our final step before serving dinner was to pan sear our chicken. We liberally coated our chicken breast with salt and pepper and then let it sear in a hot skillet. Once a golden on the outside we moved it to a baking sheet and into the oven until it reached 162. Chicken needs to cook to 165-degrees but it continues to cook even after you take it from the oven.

With our chicken done we put our asparagus on a serving dish and drizzled the caper vinaigrette over the top. We sliced the chicken and put it on a platter with our ratatouille that we had divided up between some large ramekins to serve. Our soufflé we dusted with a little confectioner’s sugar on top.

We all sat down and dug in. The ratatouille was incredible it was a perfect comfort food and I could see myself making that again in the fall or winter. The chicken was juicy and perfectly seasoned and it’s amazing how simple it is to make a chicken breast that isn’t dry. The soufflé tasted even better then it looked. It was tart and sweet at the same time and very light and airy. Definitely something I would make for a dinner party.  The meal was fantastic. 

 

 

2014 Doug Flutie 5K Training (Week 5)

D o u g   F l u t i e   5 K  T r a i n i n g

S t a t u s   R e p o r t

 

Training is on-going. So far to day I have run 17.38 total miles since I started training with 4.2 miles this week alone. My best per minute this week is 8:41.  I skipped my first run of the week since I was on vacation over the weekend. I will try to make it up.  For more information visit the Doug Flutie Foundation, or Doug Flutie 5k Info and Sign-up page

	Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
7/20	Off	Off	Bravo	Off	Bravo	1.42mi	Off
7/27	1.42mi	Off	Bravo+.87Mi	1.41mi	Bravo+.87Mi	1.42mi	Off
8/3	1.49mi	Off	400R+.50mi	1.50mi	400R+.50mi	Off	1.50mi
8/10	1.44mi	Off	Bravo	1.75mi	Bravo	Skip	Off
8/17	Skip	Off	Bravo+1.2Mi	1.80mi	Bravo+1.2mi	Skip	Off
8/24	RUN	Off	Bravo	RUN	Bravo	RUN	Off
8/31	RUN	Off	Bravo	RUN	Bravo	RUN	Off
9/7	RUN	Off	Bravo	RUN	Bravo	RUN	Off
9/14	RUN	Off	Bravo	RUN	Bravo	RUN	Off
9/21	RUN	Off	Bravo	RUN	Bravo	RUN	Off
9/28	RUN	Off	Bravo	Off	RUN	Off	Off
D o u g   F l u t i e   5 K  R a c e   D a y  O c t o b e r   5 t h ,   2 0 1 4

8/17: Skipped Run Day (Vacation) - I didn't run but I did record over 8 miles of walking while on Cape Cod.

8/19: Crossfit Style AMRAP. 25 Minutes AMRAP 10 Wall Balls, 10 Mountain Climbers, 10 Air Squats, 10 Pushups & 200m Run. I completed 9 complete rounds in the 25 minutes and had about 12 seconds left at the end. It was a bit humid out but it was nice to take our workout outside.

8/20: Ran 1.8 miles in 15:36. Avg/Mi 8:41. I am slowly increasing my length while maintaining my pace. It was a good lunch time run with a coworker. The mid day heat affected me a little bit but its more my continued shin splints that have me hobbling when I'm done

8/21: Crossfit Style AMRAP. 25 Minutes AMRAP 10 Wall Balls, 10 Mountain Climbers, 10 Air Squats, 10 Pushups & 200m Run.  I completed 9 complete rounds in the 25 minutes and had about 20 seconds left at the end. So that was a little faster then Tuesday's time

8/22: Skipped Run Day: My shins are still problematic so I thought I would rest again this weekend and start up again next Wednesday to let them heal as much as possible

Week 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | Race Day

The Pilgrim Monument & Museum

Standing High above the town of Provincetown, MA on High Poll Hill stands the 252ft tall granite Pilgrim Monument. It was built to honor the Mayflower Pilgrims’ first landing in Provincetown on November 21 of 1620.  The corner stone was laid by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1907 and it was dedicated three years later by President Taft.

Before going up the monument we enjoyed the Provincetown Museum. Here we got a lesson about the town’s history as a whaling village and then a fishing town. We learned that many of the homes in Provincetown had been moved from nearby Long Point. Many of the fisherman had built there homes out on the point to allow them to be closer to the fishing grounds. When those fishing ground had shifted and it was no longer practical to stay out there many of those homes had been moved by barge back to town. Those homes are marked with a  blue plaque of a home sitting on a barge to indicate they had been moved.

Once done with the museum we headed outside and up the stairs to the monument.

Interesting facts include that there are 116 steps and 60 ramps. At its 252 ft it holds the record for the tallest all granite structure in the US. The granite came from Stonington, Maine. There are plaques inside to honor donations from cities, towns, and organizations that made donations to the building of the Monument. At its top it is 350 ft above sea level. Its design is patterned after the Torre Del Mangia in Sienna, Italy.

Once inside we began our accent which took roughly 10 minutes. Upon arrival at the observation deck we enjoyed the full 360-degree views of Provincetown. It was fun trying to pick out the house we had stayed in the night before and the location of all the places we had explored earlier in the day and the entire day before.

The monument’s observation deck wasn’t at the very top of the monument however. Above stood a vaulted ceiling with large arches. They have also been some modern changes made to the observation deck. Each of the viewing areas now had glass windows installed behind the steel fencing.

After spending 10-15 minutes at the top we made our way back down where we captured some great pictures of the monument.

Provincetown Causeway

Constructed in 1911 to protect the town’s harbor from the shifting of the sand dunes on Long Point, the Provincetown Causeway also known as Breakwater Walk crosses the harbor. The breakwater has done its assigned duty well over the years, but its rock structure has also added to the town’s beauty and the accessibility of the Cape’s tip.

Tourist and residents alike can follow its path across the harbor. The breakwater is roughly 1 mile in length from start to finish. Depending on how quickly you walk you can cross in one to two hours. The rocks are not laid evenly so only the sure footed should attempt to cross.

 We took the time to walk the distance across and along the way took some great pictures of the causeway. Since the tide was out the harbor floor was almost dry and allowed us to explore it. Beside the many mussel shells you can find other interesting things like a boat motor from some lost and likely destroyed boat.

It is important to be aware of the tide schedule since the breakwater is either mostly exposed as it was for us or in some spots the water can sometimes rise above the rock passage at high tide. Once on the other side those who have made the journey can continue on to Long Point Light at land’s end or find a spot along the sandy shore to take a swim or catch some sun.