Did you remember?
It’s not too late. Run in remembrance.
Shane and I put our bibs on and ran for Sherry today. If you haven’t done it yet, print your bib and go for a walk, run, bike ride, just get out there and remember Sherry.
Run Recap:
Today was Shane’s first half marathon distance run. YAY SHANE! 13.6 miles for the puppy. That was enough for him although he STILL wanted to play Frisbee. No way. “Mom” has to tell puppy his limitations. I left Shane to rest and went out to complete my first 20 mile run in this years Boston Marathon training.
It was a slow run but that didn’t bother me. *Poor Shane ended up getting a case of Runners Trots so we had a few unscheduled pit stops. The first 20 miler in a training program is simply to get the legs ready for the distance and time on the road. With all the stops made with Shane, the resulting time was 3:19. It was a long distance for him so …to be expected.
The temperature wasn’t as cold as anticipated. There was no wind and for the majority of the run I thought it was a perfect morning to be out for a run. What else would I want to do, right?! It wasn’t until the 16 mile point, after dropping Shane off and making it up a steep hill that my body really started complaining. My left foot seemed to get on and off cramps, my hips tightened up BIG TIME, and the hamstring pinged now and then. The run was broken down mentally into small steps. First, I went out shooting for six miles when I could refuel with water and a gel. Second, I shot for the 10 mile point to give Shane more water. Next, it was 13 to 14 miles when I would get home and leave Shane to rest while I continued on. After setting out again for the last 6 plus miles, I broke it down to three. Three miles up that hill and back down to a nice straight away. Only three left, just run one then 2 X around the track and home to finish on the treadmill, but I kept going. It felt WONDERFUL to complete the entire run outside even though it was slow and all body parts were hurting, I did it and THAT’S what feels so good: pushing through to the end when you want to stop so badly. SUCCESS! 
Estate 169 at Twin Ponds
Did you see the ad in this weeks paper? Ted did and had his heart set on trying out the Friday Saturday Fine Dining experience at Twin Ponds golf course.
The restaurant was well lit and not crowded.
It was quiet, relaxing and the windows all around created an airy dining experience. Certainly not cozy, quaint, and warm, but nice.
The menu was somewhat limited however did offer something to please everyone.
None of my favorite wines were offered but the Rosemount Shiraz seemed a safe choice. Ted was pulling for a Blue Moon but had to settle for a Stella Artois.
We began with the fried calamari
It was chewy and not crisp. The flavor was excellent since it was cooked/seasoned with cherry peppers. I was thrilled although had to limit myself since I was running the long run in the morning. Ted wasn’t impressed. He likes crispy, fried calamari – true Utica style.
I got a little bored waiting for the salad, not that the conversation wasn’t good, it’s just that the table décor was fun to photograph. *Pinkish hue is due to an incorrect camera setting. Oh well – I was just playing.
Ted and I played a memory game. He/I would suggest a word or phrase and we would have to announce the first thing that popped into our mind. Things like “Proctor” (Ted’s high school), “First Kiss”, “Car”… etc. We had each other laughing hysterically.
The salad finally arrived and it was a disappointment. I love a big salad. This was the size of my palm and set in an edible cheese bowl which wasn’t crisp but chewy. Not worth eating.
The main entrees were Seafood Fra Diavolo for me
and Pasta Carbonara for Ted (with chicken)
The plates were piled high. Ted forgot to request limited sauce so his meal was swimming but it wasn’t a heavy sauce. He said it was “ok”. The Seafood Fra Diavolo was good. It had plenty of clams, mussels (I actually ate the mussels), scallops, shrimp and a small piece of haddock. The waiter asked if I wanted the sauce mild, medium, or hot which was unusual but a great idea. Under normal circumstances, I would have asked for hot but settled for mild because, well, you know why.
We rounded off the meal with a good cup of Joe. The facility didn’t have Splenda nor Stevia. TWO STRIKES!
Estate 169 at Twin Ponds is a nice visit back to years ago when most of us remember the big parties and wedding receptions. The wait staff was good, appetizer arrived quickly, but salad and main course took a while. The prices were too high in our opinion for the quality of the food. I would definitely recommend trying Estate 169, just don’t order the calamari and let them know if you don’t like your food swimming in sauce. A nice restaurant for reminiscing.
Congrats on such a great run for a great reason!