Chowda - LBI style

Today's post is more gourmand and less running. I did get in a 3 mile run this morning, but headed to LBI to help my sister in law Pat close her house for the winter. There was also some clean up of leaves and pruning of the bushes. After two plus hours of working around the property, I was starting to get hungry. I figured we would stop on the way off the island so we just starting heading back when Pat suggested California Pizza & Grill. I had checked the LBI Resort Map for a sandwich shop but found none so this was definitely a better option than Wawa.

LBI has an annual Chowderfest in October which I never make, but always see signs about certain restaurants that placed in the contest. Well, California Pizza & Grill was crowned champion in 2008 & 2009 so it only made sense that I give it a try. I am not one to pass up on quality food. I ordered a cup along with pulled pork nachos. The nachos were a disappointment only because there wasn't much pulled pork. The chowder on the other hand was excellent. I could tell by the first spoonful.

When I taste great food, I need to blog about as a way to pass the word along. If you happen to be on LBI, stop at California Pizza & Grill for the chowder. You will not be disappointed.

Born to Run 5 Miler - Freehold, NJ

Time - 37:09
Pace - 7:26
Runners - 659
Place - 97
Age Place - 10th
Heart Rate Average - 146
HR peak - 156

After a tough race on Thanksgiving, one that I ran very hard, I was looking forward to taking it easy at the 18th annual Born to Run 5 Miler in Freehold. This is a tough race for most people because it is the day after Thanksgiving and not many folks can get the day off or want to get up to run.

The good thing about this race it starts at 11am and is a laid back event. Number pick-up is at the Freehold firehouse and all of the runners are happy and talking about their Thanksgiving races and of course there is the race within the race.

I have only run this race a few times because I couldn't get the day off when I was working in the city. The Senator aka Ken Vercammen loves this race and for good reason. After the race, everyone is treated to free beer at the Court Jester right across the street. Ken is injured and cannot run but he has been biking to keep himself fit and also not go stir crazy. I usually pick him up for this race because he gets his fair share of free beer at the Jester. His plan was to bike to the race via route 522 so I was instructed to take the same route just in case his knee prevented him from making it all the way.

I caught up to him with 3 miles to the firehouse and he was good to finish so I went ahead. The weather was windy and raining so I give him a lot of credit for biking 18 miles in suspect conditions.

After picking up my race number and helping Ken post his Freezing Cold Hash signs, I headed to the car to keep warm.
My goal in this race was to go easy, someone where between 7:15' and 7:30 pace. Ken also reminded me that it was important that I head straight to the Court Jester after the race to hopefully place in the race within the race. I usually end up in the Court Jester, but never right after the race. I sprinted from the finish line across main street, dodging a few cars to the bar. When I entered I was greeted with loud applause for coming in 3rd behind Mike Dixon, who won the race as well and Steve Apostalauus of Wanamasa. Another guy came in right after me but immediately recognized as a loser as was serenaded as such. The first woman, Meg Foley of Grand Junction, arrived soon after me followed by Sharon Weldy from RVRR. One thing of note, you had to drink beer when you came into the bar otherwise you would be Dq'd. The beer was flowing very shortly after the arrival of the top 3. The two ladies behind the bar were pouring glasses of beer for about 45 minutes straight and the runners were drinking.

It is always a fun time after the Born to Run and when there is free beer involved no one complains.

Flemington Turkey Trot

Time - 20:55
Pace - 6:44
Runners - 3851
Place - 189
Age Place - 5th
Heart Rate Average - 155
HR peak - 164

There is nothing better than running a race on Thanksgiving morning and my race of choice has been the Flemington Turkey Trot. It use to be the only race on Thanksgiving and when I first started running it back in 1995, and there were only 400 finishers. There were 3851 finishers today their largest field to date.

That being said, I noticed a few new races nearby on turkey day. One in Hopewell and another in Princeton which is only 10 miles from the house. Only problem with the Princeton race, it was an 8am start. Ken White has joined me in a bunch of the Turkey trots in Flemington and he wanted to stick with tradition so Flemington would be the choice.

Ken and I arrived very early and got a prime parking spot and hung in the car prior to the race because it was colder than we thought. It seemed the temps were dropping so the warmth of the car was the call.

Ken is coming off bruised ribs from a ski fall and is slowly working his way back to form and wanted to go for a sub 24. I wanted a sub 21 which I have been running and hopefully something closer to 20:30. This meant we needed to be up front with the fast kids. With a race size of over 3500 if you don't get up front the first mile will be very slow.

Gun went off and all the young kids sprung for the early lead. The race seems to attract many of the local HS and College track kids since their seasons are over. They mean business alos as the winning time was 14:58 for some 24 year from Pennsylvania.

I got into a good groove early and when the first mile split was called out in 6:13, I knew something was wrong. Either I was going too fast or the timers were wrong. My watch said 6:33 which i knew was correct. My goal now was just keep the pace and finish strong. A top 3 finish in my age group would be tough today because of the depth of the competition.

I hit the second mile in 13:00 which was closer to the correct time and now I needed to just finish strong. I was running in a pact of a few fast runners and I wanted to keep ahead of them. At one point I said to myself, "why am i doing this every week". It was hurting a bit but I knew the finish was coming so I gave it what i had left in the tank.

I wasn't crazy with the 20:55 time because I thought I was going faster but it is not an easy course to navigate because of all the turns. I didn't make the top 3 , finishing 5th in the 50-54 age group. Ken finished up in 23:45 which was great since he has being injured. I also saw Dennis Lake there and he finished in 22:38. Mark and Rosemarie Strawn also were there for the second straight year.

I got home at 11:45 and the food fest began. Ro made a whole bunch of traditional food and I made lamb in phyllo which I have been playing with the last few weeks.

I need to get some rest because tomorrow I am running the Born to Run 5 miler in Freehold. i will be taking it easy on the run but hard on the drinking at the Court Jester.

A new 5K and my big fat Greek dinner

I was watching Ina Garten last night on the Food Network and she was making a Greek dinner for some friends. She made lamb kabobs, spanakopita and a Greek salad. My wife Ro loves Greek food so I knew that was going to be what I would make for dinner. I enjoy cooking the same day I run a race. I feel it completes the circle for me.

After the Run with the Vikings 5K I received an email from Dana Miller who was in the middle of organizing a 5K for the PTO of the Constable Elementary School in Kendall Park, not to far from my house. I pride myself on knowing just about every race in NJ but was not aware of this one which was so close to my home.

Dana called me to talk about the logistics of organizing a road race and was at the RWTV5K and knew her race was not going to be anything like that. In fact, she just wanted to keep it to the school kids, parents and maybe a few locals. I wasn't sure how that was going to work, but when she told me she was only getting 100 t-shirts and there would be no awards and no scoring, I figured it would suffice for her needs which was to raise some money for the PTO. She told me she already had 75 runners signed up and since she really didn't market the race she was only looking to attract 100 runners.

At $20 per runner, she would gross $2,000 and then spend $300 for t-shirts and another $100 or so for food. As fundraisers go for schools, this would be a nice event. I mentioned the race to my running friends who lived in the neighborhood, but was afraid to broadcast it to others for fear they might not be happy if they knew the course wasn't measured, and they would not have any trophies or accurate timing.

I kind of like the small races but I like it when the courses are USATF certified. I hate running slow or fast based on a long or short course.

I was thinking about running to the race from my house which would have been a first but wasn't sure where I would put my change of clothes. It is a good thing I took my car because I don't think there were any bathrooms available. I actually drove back home at 8am, 30 minutes before the start to do my business. I made it back by 8:20 and feeling lighter.

I checked out the crowd to see if I had any competition and there was one or two guys that could be fast and two young kids that were on the track team. Since there were no age group trophies, I had to actually win the race. I have never won a race outright and I often wonder how I would react if I had to run step for step to the finish. This could be my lollipop race.

It was a friendly crowd and I recognized a few faces from the Viking 5K. I was the only guy in shorts and a short sleeve t-shirt. Most of the runners thought the 40 degree temp was "too" cold. John Liptap and I ran the course earlier in the week so I could get an idea how it was. It was a hilly course but one I liked. We have run parts of the course on previous training runs so I was somewhat familiar with it.

My plan was not to go out too fast but size up who took the lead and keep close to them and maybe I would be able to out kick them. The 2 young track kids went out pretty fast and this 30 something guy who didn't look like a guy who could run in the 20's for a 5K. I was pushing pretty hard early on and those two kids looked like they were cruising. I knew at this point it would be difficult for me to win unless they faded. The 30 something guy was giving me a run, but when I got near him at the top of a small hill, I could hear him gasping for air so I knew he wasn't going to be an issue.

At mile one I was a few yards back from the kids but my heart rate was at 164 and that is usually my peak so I knew I couldn't keep that pace. At 1.5 miles I surged to the lead and was running well. It was the latest I have ever been in the lead of a race and it felt good. The boys were chatty and quickly regained the lead. I was near them at mile 2, but from there this one kid pulled away and I was now solidly in third. The kid in second was fading a bit but so was I.

I ended up in 3rd and soon found out that I had won a turkey for my 3rd place effort. I thought that was cool and it made my morning. As it turned out, the kid in second ran the Viking race and ran 19:23 so I wasn't upset that I couldn't catch him. I ran a 20:33 for the day, but really not sure the course was accurate. I gave it a good effort and overall I think Dana did a great job. My one real critique was that she should have had awards for the top 3 male and female runners and had a ceremony. After the last runner finished, she packed up and left. It would have been nice to recognize the top runners and would not have cost too much.

Hopefully she will do this again next year and I offered to help and promote.

When I got home I started prepping dinner so I would have very little to do later. I was making spanakopita which is spinach, onions and feta in a phyllo dough pastry. I have never worked with phyllo dough and soon found out it is difficult. It is so thin and delicate. The lamb kabobs became a challenge because I couldn't find lamb at the supermarket. I had to go to the Pennsylvania Dutch Market which had plenty of it. They even cubed it for me. The Greek salad was easy.

Making the spanakopita took some time but it was really good. I made too much of everything but will enjoy the leftovers. I marinated the lamb in a yogurt, lemon and rosemary mix for about 6 hours. It cooked up nice on the grill. All the recipes come from Ina Garten of Barefoot Contessa fame. I like they way she cooks and all her food looks great. I am glad I gave it a try. Ro loved the salad and the spanakopita which made me happy.

Engineers without Borders 5K

Time - 20:39
Pace - 6:40
Runners - 134
Place - 20
Age Place - 1st
Heart Rate Average - n/a
HR peak - n/a

Ro, Michael and I planned to visit Leigh Ann at UDel this weekend and I always check to see if there are races in the area. There were 2, one in Wilmington at 9am and one at noon, right on the campus of UDel. The noon race was a no brainer since it meant we could leave NJ at 9am and still get to the race on time, plus it would be fun running on her campus..

We did not make parent weekend this year so it was our first trip to the campus since we dropped her off so we were looking forward to spending some time with her.

I got to the campus and the registration table at 10:45 and was actually there before they were set up. After picking up my number and t-shirt, we headed over to Leigh's apartment to pick her up. Leigh, Ro and Mike went for breakfast and I headed to the starting line.

This was the inaugural run of the race and it attracted 134 finishers. It was run by the college engineering students who did a great job. Races 2 Run was also involved and I was impressed with their organization. They organize many of the races in the Newark and Wilmington areas and from what I can see, do a great job.


One thing I noticed at the start were the medal (wood) they were giving out to the first place winners. They were different and unique and I wanted to win one, but I needed to come in first place in my age group. Most of the runners were students so I figured I had a shot if I could run my normal 20 minute 5K. There were a few older guys so I need to run well. Most of the time sub 20 will win these race in all the age groups up to 60. I bet most of the older runners ran the 9am race in Wilmington because they like to get it over early. The students ran the noon race because they get up a lot later.

I usually don't run well in the afternoon races, but I felt pretty good despite a sluggish training run yesterday as well. My first mile was pretty fast but I missed the marker so i don't know the time and I missed the 2nd mile as well. I know I kept pushing the pace and actually felt I went faster in the third mile as I was trying to keep pace with a few younger runners.

I finished in 20:39 which was good for 20th overall and indeed first in my age group. I was happy with the time and effort. Afterwards I met up with the family and we went for lunch. Spending time with Leigh was very special and it was nice to run on her campus.

Run with the Vikings 5K

Whew, I am tired. First off, I want to thank all who help make this race a huge success. It started as a little idea 6 years ago and today, I believe we host a top notch race. I have to say that I think today's race went off without a major hitch. We always have little problems such as lost numbers, missing names on the check in sheet and misspelled names.

The weather was perfect with just a bit of wind. It was going to be at your back at the start and in your face coming home. Sun was shining and the crowds were great.

The sponsors began arriving, Rehab Center, Jersey Physical Therapy, IHOP, PBA and Panasonic all set up in the school. IHOP was once again serving pancakes to all the runners and they just love it.

Got to the school at 7am and the fun started. Check in table was set up and the folks manning the table did a great job. No long lines and we had lots of post race runners. The Newark track team came with about 25 runners and they represented well, winning many awards.


Derrick Pee won the mile in a record 4:37 and Lilliana Taveras was the first female in a time of 6:14.

We were having our first annual Mascot race which was taking place after the mile and before the 5K. We had Sparkee from the Somerset Patriots, the Shoe Dog from Roadrunner Sports and of course, the SB Viking. The shoe dog won easily sprinting by the two others.

I planned on starting the 5k and jumping in to run with Taugh. My son Bobby came in from Boston and Ken White aka Mr. Vert intended to run despite possible fractured ribs from a bad spill at Copper Mountain. Bob Martello and former Lafayette classmate showed up which was special. Sometimes, I feel like I am throwing a party for all my running friends.

The 5k was won by Glenn McIssac in a time of 17:08 and the female winner was Kathleen Rocker in a time of 19:30. Kathleen also won the overall Brunswick Cup trophy.

My legs were a bit tired from running yesterday so the easier pace today was going to be helpful. Taugh and I ran pretty much the whole race together except the final 150 yards. He played adult soccer yesterday and his legs were knotted. I finished up in 23:01 and Taugh ran 23:10.

Conquer the 5K's - Princeton, NJ

Time - 20:52
Pace - 6:42
Runners - 130
Place - 13
Age Place - 1st
Heart Rate Average - 156
HR peak - 167

I woke up at 5am this morning with too many thoughts of the Run with the Vikings 5K and how much I needed to do before the race on Sunday. Being the race director, you want to make sure you have everything covered. I feel I am having a party, and invited over 350 guests and I want it to be rewarding and fun for them. I never get to run hard at my own race and I felt I needed to either run long or fast before my 5K.

I needed a race nearby because my time was limited and I wanted to also promote my race. I found what I believe to be a new race on the calendar, called Conquer the 5K's which is a play on 5K. It is meant to be the 5 killers of health which are stress, diabetes, high cholesterol, obesity and high blood pressure. I firmly believe that running will help with all those issues so I thought it was a great cause. People really shouldn't wait until its too late.

My only issue today was the 10am start since I knew I wouldn't get home until 11:30 or later. I wouldn't be able to stick around for any awards since I had so much to do. Got to the race at 9:10 and pre registration was outside and the volunteers were all freezing. Most of the runners were inside, warm and cozy. Not sure why they couldn't do the registration inside but maybe next year they will do it.

Race got started 10 minutes late which I hate. They were doing group stretching at 9:55. Memo to race directors: start the races on time. Do all the other stuff 15 minutes before the start.

Needed to wear gloves and long sleeves for the first time this season. I probably could have gotten away without both, but it was in the high 30's. I ran into Mike Dixon and Mike Anis, both of RVRR and sure to be the favorites. Both of them could easily run sub 16 minutes for the race. I was just eyeing the 50 years olds. I just try to hang with them but sometimes you can't always tell the older guys. Some of the younger guys look old.

The course was entirely on the grounds of Bristol Myers Squibb and had some decent hills. I knew I wasn't going to run a better time than last week so I just wanted to keep the pace strong.

When the gun went off, the fast pack took off and I was left with the second group of runners. I figured I would try to stay in front of them for as long as I could. A few of the newbies went out too fast and were soon caught, but there was such a big gap between me and the front pack it was hard to keep pushing since I was really running alone. my best races are when I run in a group and push the pace and have someone to chase down.

The hill at mile .5 and 2.5 took a few seconds off my time but when I hit the tape at sub 21, I was happy. I stuck around for a bit but had to get going and couldn't stay for any awards. I figured I was in the top 3 in my age group but was surprised to find out I came in first in the 50-59 and 11th overall. Mike Dixon did go sub 16, 15:55 to be exact winning the race and Mike Anis finished 3rd in 16:19.

I got home by 11:45 and quickly headed over to the high school to get stuff set up for tomorrow. My neighbor Jerry helped along with Ro and Karen, the school secretary. Last minute pickups and we were done.

No time for cooking so I ordered from Joe's deli on Route 27 in Franklin Park. They have a deli and a restaurant and it was packed. I ordered eggplant rollatine and penne with vodka sauce and chicken, Both of the dishes were excellent. I highly recommend Joe's for a night out and don't forget to BYOB.

Corn Parfait

I was watching a Jacques Pepin cooking show over the weekend and he made this corn parfait recipe in about 5 minutes not including the baking time. He looked really good so I had to give it a try. It did only take 5 minutes to prepare and I baked it for 35 minutes. It was light and tasted great and would be a perfect side dish for Thanksgiving. You need to get fresh corn when possible.

See recipe below.

1 teaspoon unsalted butter,
4 ears corn, husked
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups half and half
1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese

Coat a 4 or 5 cup gratin dish with the butter. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Cut the kernels off the ears of corn, and put them in the bowl of a food processor with the flour, eggs, salt, and pepper. Process until well pureed. Add the half and half, and process for another 5 to 10 seconds. Pour into the buttered dish, and sprinkle the Parmesan cheese on top.

Bake for about 25 minutes, or until just set, puffy, and nicely browned. Serve. (The parfait is best served immediately, but you can make it 1 to 2 hours ahead and reheat it in the oven or microwave.)