Melissa Runs

Escaping the City :: A Travaasa Austin Review

Posted by Melissa on February 25, 2013 5 comments

This weekend Brad and I took a trip out to Travaasa Experiential Resort and Spa near Balcones Canyonlands Preserve. It was a short twenty minute drive from our house but felt as if we were vacationing in another part of the country.

Check-in isn’t until 3pm but you’re allowed on the property as early as 9am. There’s a pretty healthy list of activities scheduled for the day so ideally you’d plan your day out beforehand and arrive accordingly. We had booked a Breakfast in Bed Culinary Class at 2pm so we got to Travaasa just before 1. Luckily our room was ready so we were able to drop off our bags and get settled in.Guests rooms are located in three-story individual dwellings, which I thought was a nice change of pace from the cookie-cutter rooms in one large building. We stayed on the 3rd floor in Hacienda Alamo and it was the perfect location.

DSCN0578

After we spent 20 minutes ooh-ing and ahh-ing over the incredible views, we grabbed our property map and made our way to Jean’s Kitchen for the Culinary Class.

I’m going to dedicate a separate post to both the culinary class and a wine tasting we did immediately following it. They were both exceptional and deserve special attention.

After the tasting we settled in at a table on the Mesquite Patio to finish our wine and kill some time before dinner. It was nice to relax and unwind, catching up after a busy week.

Once our glasses were empty we decided to take a walk out to the spa and check out the rest of the grounds.

The views out there were absolutely breathtaking. Austin is such a huge city and we tend to get caught up in the hustle and bustle, forgetting about the Hill Country out west. We need to take advantage more often.

Our dinner reservations were for 7pm so we thought we’d grab a drink at the bar across from the restaurant.

Brad went with a local beer, Stash IPA, and I chose a glass of Illahe Pinot Noir from the Willamette Valley. Our bartender was very helpful and allowed us to also taste a Malbec we were interested in ordering with dinner. Another gentleman (a manager, I assume) overheard Brad and I talking about how my phone was about to die and inquired what kind of phone I had. He disappeared behind the bar and produced a charger for me. Awesome customer service.

Dinner was, as expected, awesome. It was pretty cool to watch Executive Chef Ben Baker hard at work. I love open air kitchens and wish we had requested to sit up at the bar so we had a better view!

It was really dark in the restaurant so our meals didn’t photograph well. But the wine did.

We started with Portobello Lettuce Cups, and then for dinner Brad ordered the Wild Boar with Blue Polenta and I had Texas Wagyu New York Strip with Oven Roasted Potatoes and Broccoli. Everything was excellent. New York Strip is pretty far down on my list of favorite cuts of meat but this was unlike any strip I’ve had before. And probably the only restaurant who has ever nailed the “Medium” cooking temperature. It was perfect.

For dessert we had Beignets with Mexican Chocolate “Cappucino” Fondue and a 12-year honeyed single malt scotch. Yes, scotch. Honestly I wasn’t interested at all in sharing the Beignets. We probably should have each ordered our own – they were that good!

We brought our bottle of wine back to the room with us and enjoyed it on the patio, watched a little bit of TV and were asleep by 10:30. We party HARD.

Around 3am I woke up VERY thirsty. I cracked open a bottle of water, but I really wanted ice for it. Or maybe I wanted a soda. One of the two would work. We grabbed the ice bucket and decided to go on an adventure. Our building didn’t have an ice machine or a vending machine, so we headed to the welcome center. An employee saw us out on our walk and asked if there was anything he could help with. He unfortunately told us there wasn’t a vending machine in the welcome center but he would be happy to grab us some ice. We gave him our room number and then headed back to the building.

Ten minutes later this amazing employee arrived at our door with a full ice bucket, four different cans of sodas, and three bags of chips. He seriously made my morning. Talk about going above and beyond. Customer service at Travaasa is definitely top notch.

At 7:30 we headed to Jean’s Kitchen for breakfast.

After breakfast we hit one of the hiking trails so we could see the Solidago Gardens. The front desk recommended we check it out, as the waterfalls make it very serene and peaceful. This was definitely a last minute decision so we went hiking in flip-flops. Wouldn’t recommend it, but it’s doable.

So now we get to the only disappointing part of our weekend. Some of the activities required signing up the day before since there were limited spots. When we checked in at 1pm on Saturday, the Challenge Course’s (an obstacle course with ziplining) eight slots were already full. We penciled ourselves in as two of the alternates just in case someone couldn’t make it. Unfortunately, everyone showed up so we were stuck with nothing to do for the remainder of the morning. Bummer. No one’s fault but our own – if we had shown up earlier in the day we probably could have gotten on the list.

We spent a little bit of time relaxing in a hammock and then headed back to the infinity pool.

We lounged by the pool for about an hour or so, soaking up some sunshine and enjoying the killer view.

Seriously, how can you beat this? Hard to believe we were actually still in Texas.

We had an early lunch and our final meal on the Mesquite Patio before checking out.

Overall, Travaasa is a pretty amazing place. It’s definitely a hidden gem out there near Lake Travis and I’m glad we were able to visit. I’ll follow up with the Culinary Class and Wine Tasting reviews because I think they were my favorite parts of the weekend. Me? Love a wine tasting? Shocking, no?

2013 LIVESTRONG Austin Half Marathon Race Recap

Posted by Melissa on February 18, 2013 11 comments

Yesterday morning I ran my third LIVESTRONG Austin Half Marathon.

I’m going to end up buying this one once all the photos have been uploaded, so don’t get upset that I borrowed it, MarathonFoto.

While 3M may be my favorite race in town to really race, LIVESTRONG Austin is my favorite race to run. It starts just north of the Capitol building, runs south on Congress past many amazing restaurants + bars before turning to come back into the city on South First, heads west on Cesar Chavez to Mopac and then takes 15th Street back east to end up finishing just south of the Capitol building. It’s an awesome way to see this amazing city!

The course isn’t flat or fast, in fact, it’s pretty damn tough. Rolling hills miles 1-3, uphill miles 3-6, downhill 6-9, uphill 10-11.5, a little downhill followed by a hill that will make you cry at mile 12, a little downhill to recover and then back up the San Jacinto hill to the finish.

The weather was absolutely perfect yesterday – 42 at the start and roughly 55 at the finish, with beautiful blue skies and bright sunshine.

Miles 2-6

Miles 6-9

Miles 9-12

Mile 12 (where “The Hill” lives) – Finish

From my 2011 recap:

What I thought of the Enfield Hill:

And, DONE!

Overall, I highly recommend this race, whether it be the half or the full. It might not be your goal race for the year or a super speedy PR-producing course, but I can promise you will NOT be disappointed. Everything from the expo to the finish line is incredibly organized and well executed. There may be hills but the course is scenic so there’s a lot to keep your mind off of the elevation side of things.

Never been to Austin? Sign up for the race, book a hotel downtown, and take in all this great city has to offer. You will eat the best food you’ve ever had in your life while you’re here. Yes, IN YOUR LIFE. No exaggeration. You’ll fall head over heels for the Live Music Capital of the World – I guarantee it!

The finish line of the LIVESTRONG Austin Half Marathon also marked the end of the Austin Distance Challenge. Brad and I covered 61.7 miles worth of races between October and yesterday, side by side, stride for stride. (I still feel bad that his first half marathon was Decker. Yikes!)

If Brad thinks he’s going to hide four chocolate chip cookies behind his back in the picture and not get caught, he’s clearly mistaken. Busted.

I loved every minute and mile covered together over the past few months. I can’t wait to see what we can accomplish in the future!

2013 LIVESTRONG Austin Marathon Expo

Posted by Melissa on February 16, 2013 6 comments

Yesterday afternoon I headed downtown to the LIVESTRONG Austin Marathon expo at the Palmer Events Center for packet pickup and to work the ZOOMA booth with Tricia. When I pulled in at 2:45 there was quite the crowd waiting out front for the doors to open at 3.

Packet pickup was fairly uneventful. The computers crashed nearly immediately after the expo opened but it didn’t seem to be a big issue. As long as runners had their bib number to provide to the volunteers (since they couldn’t look it up) the line moved pretty quickly. Thank goodness for smartphones! There were also booths to lookup your bib number if you didn’t have the confirmation email to verify it from.

Overall, it was a pretty easy process even though I had to wait in two separate lines since my bib number wasn’t anywhere near Brad’s. Afterwards I did a quick sweep of the expo and surprisingly didn’t buy a damn thing. I don’t even know who I am anymore.

Then I made my way to meet Tricia at the ZOOMA booth.

We registered a few ladies for the upcoming Texas race, as well as the newly announced one in Chicago.

Have you seen the swag bag for ZOOMA Texas? It’s pretty awesome, probably the best I’ve seen from any race. Each runner receives a tech tee, yoga mat, reusable bag, and stainless steel water bottle.

Still haven’t signed up? Register using discount code TXAMB2 for 10% off the half marathon or 5K race fee! Wine, massages, and recovery yoga at the finish – what more could you ask for?

Back to Austin – LOVE the participant tee this year. I think this girl would love it too. FINALLY a shirt that is a different color! The lime green is awesome.

Oh! And I also received a limited edition art card from Lasting Commemoratives for each of us. (These were available to the first 1,000 people who claimed one through a link provided in an email from the LIVESTRONG Austin Marathon)

This will be my third year running Austin (2011 recap, 2012 recap) and while the course may be challenging, the crowds keep the energy up and it’s really an awesome race.

I can’t wait to run this amazing city tomorrow!

2013 Rogue 30K & 10K Race Recap

Posted by Melissa on February 7, 2013 7 comments

The Rogue Running 30K & 10K was race #5 in the Austin Distance Challenge and 2013 is the first year it’s being held up in Cedar Park. I was really looking forward to this race, but unfortunately it was disappointing in a couple areas. Let’s back it up to packet pickup…

Brad stopped into the north location of Rogue Running to pick up our packets for the race. Each runner received a long-sleeved tech shirt, throwaway gloves, a ticket to a minor league hockey game, and discount card for a local men’s grooming center.

The shirt was a little short, which tends to be the case with 90% of the tech shirts I get. While I appreciated the fact it wasn’t white, I noticed others tweeting & instagramming photos of blue women’s shirts. There wasn’t an option on color at pickup, only black was available, so I though that was strange. On race morning there were quite a few women wearing the blue shirt as well. Not a huge deal, just curious why some were different.

Also, when we registered for the race there was a list of things every runner would receive, including running gloves and a Rogue Running pint glass. I thought this made the $45 race entry fee a great value. The running gloves actually ended up being throwaway gloves, and that pint glass? No one seemed to know anything about it when I asked at the Rogue tent at the finish. Everyone looked at me like I was crazy. Eventually a woman walked up and told me they had pulled it down from the website recently and no one would be receiving them. Interesting.

The starting line was at Cedar Park High School and parking was pretty efficient. The 30K was scheduled to start at 7am so we made sure to be at the school and parked by 6:30. We met up with Jeanette and Trinity, hit the restrooms (indoors! awesome perk of having the start at a high school!) and waited around until our race started at 7:20.

I’m not sure what the cap on the 10K was. It started at 400, but Rogue eventually opened up more spots (an unspecified amount) after it sold out. Either way, the course was never crowded.

The 30K runners started twenty minutes before us and ran a different course. The 10K had a simple out-and-back through a residential area.

Less than a mile into the race I heard a car horn behind me. A quick glance over my shoulder and I saw a long stream of cars waiting for the runners to move so they could get through. Um, what?

Cars in the middle, runners on both sides. I could understand if we had a lane blocked off with cones, but it worried me a bit that we were sharing the road with the cars. Not exactly the safest situation.

Brad and I moved over to the right and continued running.

While I had stopped to take some photos both Jeanette and Trinity had passed us so after the turnaround I made sure to snap a few action shots of them:

Here comes Jeanette!

As you can tell, the course wasn’t much to write home about. After the turnaround, the race was pretty uneventful.

Once we crossed the finish line we headed straight to the Distance Challenge VIP tent to meet up with Jeanette & Trinity. And grab breakfast tacos + homemade chocolate chip cookies. Priorities. I’m going to miss these VIP tents after the Distance Challenge is over!

On our walk back to the car we realized the first 30K finisher was about to cross so we ran back to cheer him on!

Overall, it was a pretty good race. I was disappointed with the “running gloves” and the pint glass that wasn’t, but I guess you could say those were petty things. The traffic issue was my main complaint and think it’s a pretty valid one. If you’re not going to close the road completely to cars, at least block off a lane with cones so the runners feel a little bit safer. Still a little confused by the whole thing considering this isn’t the first race Rogue has sponsored. I’m willing to chalk it up to growing pains for the new location of the race (previously it was held in two different areas down south) and if they’re ironed out for 2014, I’d definitely return. It’s a pretty fast course so PRs are possible!

Another race in the books for the Austin Distance Challenge. One more to go – the Austin Half Marathon!

Wordless Wednesday: Mt. Bonnell

Posted by Melissa on February 6, 2013 3 comments

Frank :: Hot Dogs, Cold Beer {Restaurant Review}

Posted by Melissa on February 5, 2013 5 comments

When I used to work downtown, Frank was right around the corner. It was the perfect spot to grab a quick lunch or enjoy a few beers after a long day. It wasn’t until I had a few friends coming to town that I realized Frank served brunch.

And by “served brunch” I mean – they do it RIGHT.

We went two weekends in a row – that’s how good this place is. Both times we found parking less than a block away and free, since it was Sunday. The first time we arrived when they opened at 10am so obviously didn’t have to wait. The following weekend we rolled in just after 11am and were seated right away but it was definitely on the verge of being on a wait.

Their normal drink menu is pretty sweet (I’m looking at you, Kentucky Peach!) and the brunch cocktail options don’t disappoint either:

My personal favorite is the Red Headed Stranger, in a 16oz mason jar. It’s hard to go wrong with that one. Bacon-infused Tito’s? Yes please. Bacon & cheese as a garnish? In my drink? Yes PLEASE. The bloody mary mix is probably the best I’ve ever had in a restaurant. Thick, spicy, and full of flavor.

This next one is Brad’s favorite. I love it too but I just can’t convince myself to stray from the bloody mary. His choice is BB Crème. Bourbon, iced coffee, half & half, and cinnamon. The first time he had it, the cinnamon was missing. Wasn’t a deal-breaker until we went back the second time and it was served WITH cinnamon. It really took it up a notch!

Now on to the important things – the FOOD.

Our first time around we had:

Both unpictured, both amazing. (You can find photos of almost all of their items on their Instagram page). Order either and you’ll be VERY happy. I would have never thought to use pulled pork in eggs benedict, but the combination was pretty damn delicious.

The following week Brad was having trouble deciding between a few options. Once our server announced the special, his mind was made up: Blackened Crawfish & Gouda Omelette with a Cajun Remoulade.

He was pretty impressed with this dish. Crawfish is one of his favorites and he LOVES gouda, so the combination of the two made it a winner.

I already knew what I was having before we set foot in the restaurant that day. The weekend before I was deciding between two items: the Texas Benedict and… Makers Mark French Toast.

Custard battered Texas toast with Makers Mark Bourbon Blueberry Sauce. It was AWESOME. I’m pretty particular about my French Toast and Frank definitely delivered. I ordered a side of their Hash Brown Casserole (top left of the photo) which I also recommend.

I highly doubt anything on their brunch will be disappointing. So many options, so many original creations! Jackalope sausage? Chicken-fried wild boar? Sweet potato flapjacks? Pork belly breakfast tacos?

We’ll be back to try them all.

2013 3M Half Marathon Race Recap

Posted by Melissa on February 4, 2013 10 comments

Austin’s 3M Half Marathon is one of my favorite races and I couldn’t think of a better way to kick off racing in 2013. I mean, with an elevation chart like this, how could you go wrong?The temps on race morning were 35-40ish. Race start was scheduled for 6:45am, so we were parked by 6:25 and made the short (windy!) walk to the race site shortly after. It really wouldn’t have felt cold that morning – the weather was actually PERFECT – but the wind made it worse than it actually was.

photo courtesy of Paula

We dropped speedy Paula off near the 2:10 pacer and headed to the back of the line where we’d be able to settle in to our “fun run” pace.

photo courtesy of Paula

We had absolutely no time goals for this race (although secretly I wanted to get Brad in under 3 hrs, which would be ~30 minute PR) and since it was only his second half marathon, we were planning to just run and have fun.

from the 3M Half Marathon Facebook Page

3M is a point-to-point race. It starts in North Austin at the Arboretum, right in front of NXNW Restaurant on Stonelake Boulevard, and runs south through Shoal Creek, along Mopac, past the University of Texas, and finishes just north of the State Capitol.

It’s by no means a scenic course, but the elevation more than makes up for it. The first nine miles are “mostly” downhill. I say mostly because there are a few minor uphills but you hardly feel them. The elevation map 3M provides is a little bit different than the one from my Garmin:

For the most part, the course was exactly the same as last year. Except for one thing:

In 2012, 3M was held on the last weekend of January. This year, it was held on January 13, which happened to fall on move-in weekend for the University of Texas. Rather than continuing down Duval and running through campus as usual, we made a left onto 26th, right on Red River, and then a right on MLK to take us back towards the finish line. Unfortunately, this added an unwelcomed hill around mile 11. If there was a spot we struggled, it was certainly during this stretch. My legs were pretty fatigued once we made the turn onto Red River and the downhill didn’t feel as easy as it should have.

Paula finished quite a bit before us (you need to read the speed demon’s race recap) so she stationed herself near the finish where she could see us come in.

We managed to sneak in under 3 hours, landing Brad a new PR!

And I’m borrowing this one from MarathonFoto in all it’s watermarked glory because I like it but not will-pay-$34.95-for-it like it.

And then a non-stolen photo (unless you count me jacking it from Paula) of her and I before brunch:

And the standard post-race shot with fellow Austin Distance Challenge runners, Jeanette & Trinity:

Yet again 3M put on a great race! With roughly 7,000 runners, it’s the perfect size – not too small, not too large. The race start is self-seeded and everyone seemed to line up accordingly. Water stops were well-stocked and had plenty of volunteers. APD did a great job of blocking off the streets and rerouting traffic so we could get our 13.1 miles in that morning. We waited less than 5 minutes to hop on a shuttle back up north to grab our cars, so that process was efficient as well. Absolutely no complaints from us!

If you’re looking for a January race which pretty much guarantees you a fast finish & PR, the 3M Half Marathon is one worth looking into! Registration opens June 1st for next year’s race, which will be held on January 19, 2014.

2011 3M Half Marathon Race Recap

2012 3M Half Marathon Race Recap

Exiting the Comfort Zone

Posted by Melissa on January 8, 2013 27 comments

In reflecting over the past year of running, I can’t help but be disappointed with my race (and even training) performances. 2012 started off with a bang, knocking out a 5K PR on the first day of the year and a 23-minute half marathon PR on the last weekend of the month.

After that though? Things sort of fizzled out. My half marathon times gradually slowed, I stopped racing shorter distances, and after a not surprisingly spring burnout, I ran myself right into my first ever DNF at the New Jersey Marathon. After getting my ass kicked at the Spartan Race, I took a full month off of running. This ended up renewing my love for the sport and fueled the fire to begin training for the Philadelphia Marathon.

Halfway through July I began to reassess my goal time for Philly. The 90-degree evenings were beginning to take their toll on me at the track and my long-run pace was nowhere near what it should have been. I’m not the fastest runner to begin with, so to say this was discouraging is an understatement.

Once September rolled around, I threw all pace goals out the window. My goal for Philly was to finish. I registered Brad and I for the Austin Distance Challenge, putting races on our calendar every month through the middle of February. We knocked out a 10K and 10-miler in October, I ran Philly in November, and then finished an incredibly hilly half marathon in December. I closed out my running year on December 29th with the Operation Jack 10K, as I do every year.

So now I’m here. It’s January 8, 2013 and I’ve got a blank slate for the year. So how am I going to tackle it?

Here’s the plan:

{spring} Focus on the half marathon distance. I really want to get my PR (2:14) down. Ideally, I’d like to get it under 2:10 at the Long Branch 1/2 Marathon in May. (NJ Marathon course redemption? I think so.) I have 3 half marathons in between now and then (3M, Austin, and ZOOMA) but plan to use those as training runs. Long Branch will be my spring goal race.
{fall} run FAST. Yeah, this one is kinda huge. A sub-2 half marathon. Coming from someone with a (year old) 2:14 half PR, it’s terrifying to consider crossing that finish line in 1:59:59 or less. Sure, I have other race goals for the year – but this is the important one. Before December 31, 2013, I would like a sub-2 half under my belt. The race is TBD but I have the Shiner Beer Run tentatively penciled in. Any other suggestions for a fast fall half marathon? Open to traveling!
Do NOT register for any full marathons. This one directly stems from item 2. I would like my half PR to be under 2 hours before registering for another full marathon. In other words, I’m shelving the 26.2 distance until 2014.
Stop running races just to finish. Do you know what kind of problem this is? An expensive one. The city of Austin makes it incredibly hard for me to resist clicking that “Register” button. Obviously you can’t commit to racing every.single.race you enter, but I need to work on managing my schedule better. 4 half marathon in 4 months? Not necessary. It definitely makes achieving my goals harder by putting this much stress on my body. This being said, I probably need to adjust my 13 Races in 2013 goal. Quality > Quantity.
Find the perfect pair of running shoes. Good lord, I’ve been searching long enough. Right now I’m running in Brooks Adrenaline GTS 12. Great shoe that keeps my shin splints at bay, but my arches HATE me after about 3 miles. Lose one pain, gain another. I also have a pair of the Mizuno Wave Inspire 9 that I bought back in November. They’re still in the box, with a fresh pair of Oiselle laces, ready to go! I’ll probably test them out at the end of January and hopefully (as long as I’m shin splint free) use them for the Long Branch 1/2 training cycle. Maybe they’ll be my perfect pair? Only time will tell but I’m keeping my fingers crossed.
Dig deep & exit the comfort zone. While reviewing my current PRs, I noticed the paces are VERY similar. {5K 9:29, 10K 9:55, 13.1 10:13} I nearly hit my 10K PR during 3M last year! I’d love to drop the 5K pace to high 8’s, 10K to low 9’s and 13.1… well you know where I want that one to be. I know I have more in me, but I need to dig deep, push harder, and exit the comfort zone. I need it to feel uncomfortably hard. I need to really RACE.

So that’s it. My running goals for 2013. My list of non-running goals is a work in progress, but I’m getting there. The running ones absolutely deserved their own post though – hey, this is Melissa RUNS after all.

Bo Loves CHO

Posted by Melissa on January 2, 2013 3 comments

A few weeks ago at the dog park a gentleman we were talking to mentioned he gave his dog a couple tablespoons of Greek yogurt a few times a week. There’s a lake at the park where our dogs swim and while it does have a filtration system, it probably doesn’t keep the water 100% clean. Probiotics in the yogurt help battle bad bacteria and also aids in digestion. After a bit of research, it turns out feeding your dog Greek yogurt is safe (as long as they are not lactose intolerant) so we decided to give it a shot with Bo.

The verdict? He LOVES it! When I pull his container (yes, we buy him his own container – SO spoiled) out of the fridge, he sits patiently near the kitchen while I top his food with a couple spoonfuls of Chobani.

Finally coming up for air … annnnd it’s GONE.

Bo loves his CHO.

Nothing but Good.

SpinCHO Dip

Posted by Melissa on December 30, 2012 5 comments

With playoff football games and New Year’s Eve parties just around the corner, this is the perfect dip for your next gathering. Only a few ingredients make this appetizer super quick & easy to throw together.

Here’s what you’ll need: