I’m enjoying these cooler mornings in Boise and the smell of Fall lurking around the corner, my favorite time of year. There’s something about the season’s vibe that gives me more energy, which translates into better workouts.
This morning I took to the greenbelt with my little man and our neurotic doodle (Eddie – part retriever, part poodle, part hyper-sensitive spaz). Consider this my Day 3 check-in with the 30 Day Challenge (here’s the scoop if you’re totally confused).
I brought my Gymboss timer along with us so I could do intervals, my favorite way to tackle running. If you’re looking to burn fat, you’ll want to include intervals as part of your cardio training. Chronic steady-state workouts (running at the same pace the entire time) won’t give you the same results.
Today my intervals were set to include 2 minutes of running and 30 seconds of walking. Then I sprinted during my last 30 second interval, although it likely looked much slower than it felt since I was pushing a bike trailer/jogging stroller in one hand and holding a dog leash with the other.
If you’re new to intervals, I recommend you start with 1 minute of running and 1 minute of walking, alternating like that for at least 20 minutes. Each time you come back to a new interval workout you want to make it more challenging. So the second time you might do 1 minute of jogging alternating with 30 seconds of walking. The third time is 2 minutes of jogging with 1 minute of walking, then the fourth could look like my workout today. Next week I’ll be doing 3 minutes of jogging alternating with 1 minute of fast walking. OR, 2 minutes of easy jogging and 30 seconds of sprints. Get it?
On to the real spiel!
I know there are a lot of wine lovers out there who try everything, as well as those who know what they like and stick to it. I like to think we’re equal opportunists (we make jalapeno wine, after all). In reality there are a few kinds of wine we simply don’t drink.
Case in point: Chardonnay. I’d love to be a Chardonnay fan but it’s not in the stars. Occasionally an un-oaked Chard will surprise me but most of the time I just can’t get on board. If you adore Chardonnay (I realize I’m the minority on this one) I’m actually a tiny bit envious because it’s highly prolific – seems like everywhere I go someone’s trying to serve me Chardonnay. I feel the same way about beer. If I could force myself to like it I would in a nanosecond because it’s highly accessible. But as far as Chardonnay goes, my taste buds claim there are so many more interesting varieties out there (many of which I still haven’t tried).
If you read this blog at all you’ll realize I tread lightly on the white wine trail (read this to see which whites I’ll always raise a glass to). But I can dig a good crisp cold one now and then.
So before I get into my wine list this week…inquiring minds want to know: What do other wine lovers drink at the end of an average day? What do YOU drink? What did you drink last night? What will you drink tonight?
Here’s what we’ve drank this week so far (oh there WILL be more):
Monday: Aveleda Charamba Douro 2011 (Portugese red blend)
Tasting notes on this say it goes well with beef and hard cheeses. We had steak and grilled sweet potatoes and tomatoes. This wine was decent, as was the price point (under $10), so it went down easy.
Tuesday: Potter Wines Riesling and Split Rail Winery Horned Beast Reincarnate (Syrah, Grenache, Mourvedre)
We had the blast of an opportunity to host a wine blogger/Village Voice columnist for dinner at Fork restaurant in downtown Boise. So of course we drank our Riesling (along with asparagus fries – mmm!) and partook in local Split Rail Winery’s Horned Beast Reincarnate. Dinner between the four of us included an order of fried chicken and waffles, catfish tacos, apple roasted chicken and a ribeye steak – you can guess which order was mine.
First of all, as non-traditional Riesling fans we’re of course partial to ours. And as GSM (Grenache/Syrah/Mourvedre blend) groupies we’re excited by the fact that this one is local (and delicious) as well. Our company also sipped on our jalapeno wine and the night was pretty much perfect, all made possible by one superwoman of a babysitter!
Wednesday: Unlabeled, Potter-crafted white wine.
We had fresh tuna thanks to my dad who went charter boat fishing in Washington last month, so we paired a white wine of Von’s to go with it. This is one we alone drink (the perks of being married to a winemaker = limitless freebies) and will not be releasing because I’ll drink it all myself, thankyouverymuch.
We also opened a bottle of Paso Robles J. Lohr Wildflower (but left enough to finish off the next day). I’m sure it goes well with a lot of things, like writing a blog post.
Thursday: Finishing off the J.Lohr and then moving on to Primal Roots Red Blend.
“How much wine do you drink a night, lush-face?” you ask. As a matter of fact I average two glasses a night. Sometimes less, sometimes more depending on the day. Don’t pity me, I am totally at peace with my wino/health conscious/humble mommy trifecta self.
The weekend ahead is a crap shoot circus so more good wine will be consumed. What’s on YOUR list?
