Bravery is the capacity to perform properly even when scared half to death.
-- Omar N. Bradley

Tuesday, June 11, 2013

Training 5/26 - 6/1, vacation 6/1-6/9...and stormy weather

Long stormy spring-time, wet contentious April, winter chilling the lap of very May; but at length the season of summer does come.  -- Thomas Carlyle

We got back from vacation yesterday - Disney was a lot of fun (except for the rain) and a fairly successful vacation (except I met none of my goals for the break).  Good food, good family time, and quite relaxing...until that whole craziness that happens anytime you get back from a long vacation -- like a hundred loads of laundry!

The biggest problem was the rain.  The storms.  Rain, rain, and more rain.  Rain nearly every afternoon - and a complete washout the day we were supposed to play at the hotel all day.

Before I left, I was in the last week of a build phase:


Sunday 5/26 - 7.78 mile run
Monday 5/27 - 2 hour 54 minute bike (41.36 miles)
Tuesday 5/28 - 45 minute swim, 2.7 mile run
Wednesday 5/29 - 1 hour 6 minute bike (16.82), 2 mile run (BRICK)
Thursday 5/30 - 45 minute swim, 2.72 mile run
Friday 5/31 - 30 minute swim, travel day #1
Saturday 6/1 - travel day #2, arrive at Disney

Then I took an entire week off my training plan (by design - I moved everything around it).  So instead of telling you how I trained, I'll use my platform to give you a short restaurant run-down...because I can.  And because you know I love to eat.

  • Saturday 6/1
    • Lunch @ Sanaa (Animal Kingdom)
      • Bread service (naan, chutneys, raita) - excellent
      • Lamb kefta sandwich - very good
    • Dinner @ Cape May Cafe (Epcot resorts)
      • WORST. DISNEY. DINING. EXPERIENCE. EVER.
      • Nasty seafood buffet.  Lousy service.  Low quality food. The list could go on.
  • Sunday 6/2
    • Breakfast @ Cinderella's Royal Table (Magic Kingdom)
      • Princess breakfast
      • The food choices have gotten infinitely better here than 3 years ago
        • Steak & eggs (chipotle frittata, roasted potatoes), pastries, good coffee
    • Lunch @ Liberty Tavern (Magic Kingdom)
      • Shared the Thanksgiving feast w/ elder daughter - not bad
    • Dinner @ Artists Point (Wilderness Lodge)
      • Shared the buffalo strip steak with elder daughter, along with a flight of pinot from the Pacific northwest, and dessert with the husband.  Yum - but not the best steak I had at Disney.
  • Monday 6/3
    • Breakfast (in our room for the remainder of the week - bagels, trail mix, crackers, etc.)
    • Lunch @ Hollywood Brown Derby (Phantasmic Prix Fixe) (Hollywood Studios)
      • Appetizer - crab spring rolls (good)
      • Entree - char-grilled filet of beef w/ white truffle oil mashed potatoes, haricot verts, & golden beets...ZOMG
      • Dessert - banana white chocolate toffee tower (kinda like bananas foster on steroids)
      • Delightful.  Way too much food - but it was prix fixe.
    • Dinner @ Hollywood & Vine (Hollywood Studios)
      • Standard buffet food...not my favorite, but we were trying to hit different restaurants than before, and we hadn't hit any buffets last time.
  • Tuesday 6/4
    • Lunch @ Yak & Yeti (Animal Kingdom)
      • Shared spring rolls with the table and tempura shrimp with elder daughter - OK, not great
    • Dinner @ Boma (Animal Kingdom lodge)
      • This could have been very cool - an African-inspired buffet.  But the food was weird, it was way too crowded and noisy, and just a generally unpleasant experience.  I much prefer Sanaa and Jiko to get my African food on.
  • Wednesday 6/5
    • Lunch @ Tappan Edo (Epcot)
      • I've had better hibachi at home.  For cheaper.  Both the entertainment and the food were seriously lacking.  I mean seriously.
    • Dinner @ Kouzzina by Kat Kora (Epcot resorts)
      • Bread with 2 types of olive oil - yummo
      • Greek tasting trio - also yummo, especially the pastichio (Greek lasagna) - DELISH
  • Thursday 6/6
    • Lunch @ House of Blues (Downtown Disney)
      • Got a spicy burger and sweet potato fries - nothing special, but I didn't expect much
      • On the other hand, the menu was created by Aaron Sanchez (regular judge on Chopped), so maybe I should have expected a bit more
    • Dinner @ Aloha Luau (Polynesian Resort)
      • This is more for the entertainment than for the food, but the food wasn't awful
      • A variety of salads, ribs, chicken, pulled pork, dessert, and nasty beer
      • Despite the nasty beer, they did keep bringing it (and we got two servings of dessert -- pineapple bread pudding w/ caramel sauce), so that was OK
  • Friday 6/7
    • Lunch @ Via Napoli (Epcot)
      • Excellent brick oven pizza (Naples-style) along with a pitcher of good beer (Birra Moretti La Rosa)
    • Dinner @ Monsieur Paul (Epcot)
      • The upscale French restaurant...NOM NOM NOM
      • Bread service - amazing
      • Entree - no surprise, I chose the filet - yep, amazing
      • Dessert - warm chocolate & almond cake with a lava center, praline ice cream...holey cow!
  • Saturday 6/8
    • Lunch @ Crystal Palace (Magic Kingdom)
      • Another day, another buffet - probably the best one we experienced food-wise and otherwise
      • Plus we got to see the characters from Winnie-the-Pooh
    • Dinner@ Narcoosees (Magic Kingdom resorts)
      • Possibly the best meal of all...
      • Nice bottle of wine
      • Bread service - sourdough with Hawaiian sea salt butter, yummy
      • Entree - well, duh - the filet...Best Seasoning EVER.

Anyway, so now we're back to reality.  I seem to have gained about 5 pounds, but I'm certain some of that will melt off when I start eating properly again.  And we got back in time for me to start training last night...of course, the storms cut an early end to Masters swim.  :(  Plus the crappy weather all along the east coast has the river running around flood stage nearly all the time - don't know when I'll get in the open water again.  And I sure as heck don't know when it will not be a crazy current!  Enough for now.

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