Weird things I've eaten while traveling...

I'm often asked about what I'm exposed to for food, and how I handle it when I travel abroad. I believe strongly in "When in Rome, do as the Romans do". How many chances in your life (besides reality game shows) do you get a chance to be exposed to such unusual food choices? I love food as it is, I love adventure, and I enjoy being tested / taken to the extreme at times. Plus, you win the respect of the locals and learn more about the culture when you are open to try new things!
China:
- Duck tongue (weird, but good)
- Pickled silk worm larve (sadly, a lot of these)
- Baby octopus (raw) - I liked it except for the "stomache / ink sack"
- Cuttlefish on a stick - I love cuttlefish, to have the whole squid-like thing on a stick was a bit weird...
- 100 year old egg (took like 30 minutes to get up the courage to take a bite - turns out to be quite good)
- Crab on a stick (entire softshell crab)
- Shui Zhu Yu (live fish boiled in hot pepper oil and served with these other peppers that make your tongue numb / tingle)
- Tianjin pancake (looks like a rotten pancake wrapped around fish)
- Rabbit stew (in the middle of rural China)

Favorite - Dim Sum meals with dumplings (esp BBQ pork), and so many things to try, and it is communial, so you get to try it all!
--> Love all the food I've had in China so far (some more than others)

- Toughest thing - it is extremely rude to be seen picking at your teeth, espeically with fingers instead of toothpick. (Would be like someone picking nose and eating your boogers in public in the US). It is a habit I have (picking at teeth) and struggle with there in public. Even using a toothpick is to be "hidden" from view.

Korea:
- Pigeon hot pot - lots of bones, work for a little gamey meat.
- Squid soup at 3am from a street food vendor (after bar hopping)
- Mulaki (sp?) a milky alcoholic drink - bizzare
- Soju - kinda like sake... but it sneaks up on you...

- Toughest part is sitting cross-legged on floor at low tables... and remembering to never eat / drink with left hand. In Korea, that is the "unclean" hand you "wipe" with... Oh - and take your shoes off before going in!

Japan:
- Sea urchin - just don't like it raw, cooked or otherwise. One of few foods I just can't get to like.
- To many, all the sushi and sashimi is weird. I love it and it is one of my top favorite meals in any country - when done properly, of course!
The rest of the food, I really, really like!


Holland:
Nutella ice cream with hot Nutella on it - not weird, but unique and soooooo delicious!

Germany:
Again, not weird dishes like Asia, but different and delicious!
Breakfast is always smoked salmon and other meats, cheeses and breads. Fresh local yogurt and whatever berries are in season.
The Hotel Weidenbruck where I always stay (a little, family hotel) has incredible food, and my favorite dinner (Ratsherrenteller = "Mayor's plate") is an incredible pork / spaetzel / bernaise sauce dish. They always have it ready for me on my first night there.
I wash it down with Kolsch beer (the local beer there)... YUM!

Spain
Paella, tapas and cheese plates are big in the Basque region where I stayed, and very, very good with their local wines y cerveza!
Nothing weird here, except for the hours... Tapas (snacks and beer time) from 6:00-8:30pm... can't even get into a restaraunt until 8:30pm at the earliest... I can't eat a big meal that late in the day every day.
Toughest part - finding out the hard way that breakfast isn't served until after 8:00am... I'm usually up, had a run and starvin by 7:00am... That was tough to get used to.

Great Wall of China – HuangYuGang

Great Wall of China – HuangYuGang – outside of Bejing / Tianjin

WOW is almost all I can say! It was a near-religious experience… a breathtaking, thrilling and rather physically demanding day. I had numerous “pinch me – am I dreaming” moments this day!

To step out onto something that was originally constructed over 1,400 years ago (about 550 AD) – was awe inspiring. To do so in the beautiful mountains on a cloudless sunny day was PERFECT – and because it was the “off-season” we had the entire wall to ourselves!! We were on sections that were 1400 years old, and others that were “only” 600 years old… and then a few sections that were rebuilt in the 1980s to replace sections that were destroyed by the Mongolians when they finally breeched parts of the wall.

From Tianjin, it was 2.5 hour car trip out to a very rural area. That alone was interesting, to see the small farm / peasant towns and villages. This is the “other side” or 3rd world aspect of China you also hear of. I saw it first hand. We were fortunate to have our own driver to take us, wait and bring us back in comfort. We drove two hours through villages and farms in the very flat plains from the coast, then suddenly the mountains sprung up. We went from near sea-level to a few thousand feet rather quickly.

When we arrived at the little village that the wall once protected, we had lunch in a little kitchen there. Kung Pao chicken and rabbit stew, along with fried rice and “local vegitables”. Let me tell you –“henhao cha” (it tasted very good)!

The full Great Wall tour starts with an interesting, winding ride up to the top of one of the mountains where one end of the wall starts. Switch-back after switch-back snaking through little houses and random goats. I wished I had my bike! Once at the top – we paid 50RMB each (about $7US) and met our tour guide (Mrs. Liu).

It took us about 3.5 hours to cover a little over 3km (~ 2 miles). I learned from the guide that this was the location of the “Great Wall Marathon” which I know about from being in the running community. It takes place in May. The course would be so TOUGH! They do 10 laps of the wall route I took today. So many steep and narrow sections – which were made more difficult for us because there was some snow/ice remaining in the shade on the steep slopes. I ran the wall in a number of the sections, up and down stairs and along some treacherous parts – it took a lot out of me, and I can’t imagine contending with 2,000 others for position along the wall. That race must be insane!

I got permission to climb a section of the wall that forked off the main wall - to one of the highest points, that is not a part of the “tour route” – it was so steep, I had to crawl up the face of the wall to get to the top! Getting down was even more difficult – I nearly crashed and burned – with my two companions looking on from a different section of the wall.

After we finished on the wall, we were taken into the “ancient” part of the village and to the labyrinth that was a model of the “real” one they had just beyond the wall – with the idea that if the Mongolians made it through the wall, they would then get lost into the labyrinth and die of starvation – the story is that a number of those soldiers actually did get lost and die within it!

I took about 250 pictures along the way, in addition to video. When I get back into the USA (and out from behind the Great Fire-Wall of China) I’ll post the best ones to my Facebook account (www.facebook.com/kenhagan)

15K RACE REPORT – March 7, 2010

Set a 15k PR of 6:43/mi today, as well as my 10k PR (6:34/mi) during the race. Finished 3rd over-all & 1st in age group... and felt like I held back too much in the first 5k!

First race of the year and 6 weeks to Boston Marathon. Time for a “tune up race”, as well have as a chance to gauge my progress versus last season. My training volume has been heavy for me on the run… many weeks in the mid 50s mileage. This marathon plan was the first where I used two speed workouts during the week. Intervals on Tuesdays (800s and 1200s) and threshold / tempo runs on Thursdays. About 155 participants in total there, I was told by the race organizer. It was nice to see teammate Angie Ridgel as well as Marty Mason from team Spin Second Sole there!

Race plan was to hold back and race the first 5k easy – 6:55/mi avg, then race the remaining 10K at Threshold pace (6:44/mi) or faster toward the end if I could. I ended up running a little too slow in the first 5k (6:58/mi)… but ran 6:33/mi average for the remaining 10K. I gained speed steadily over the last 5 miles. My last full mile was 6:22… the last 0.2 mile section was 6:05 pace. I could have pushed it harder during the early stages of the race… good to know! I could see Marty Mason up the road. I kept pushing the pace to try to close the gap, and apparently he was in ‘negative split mode’ too – as I went from 6:45/mi down to 6:22/mi over the remaining miles, I never seemed to make up any room. He took 2nd over-all, beating me by about 40 seconds. Great job, Marty!. Whoever took first was flying from the get go. We saw him on the out-and-back between mile 1 and 2… and never again.

I felt great throughout the race… I was impatient to push the pace before mile 3, but forced myself to hold back and follow the strategy. This was good, from a game-plan standpoint… and kept the race feeling comfortable. I need to push my race plan a little in the future. But there is definitely a difference between a 15k race, and the Boston Marathon – so I’ll stick with the plan for now!

5k warm-up before the race started 1 hour before the gun (maybe a little too early). Easy pace about 8:15/mi with two 400m pushes around 6:15/mi pace to get the HR up and systems ready for the race. Took 1 gel 15 minutes before the start, and then realized my new SBR tri suit doesn’t have any pockets! Carried 2 additional gels in my shorts for the race. Took a gel about 4 miles in, and then a final one with 2 miles to go. About 10oz Gatorade during the 15 minutes before the race, and just a sip at one aid station during the race. Didn’t need it.

It was quite cold – 24F during my warm-up 5K and about 30F at the start – but clear, sunny and only light wind. First race in the new SnakeBite Racing kit. Looks great and worked well over tights and a top to stay warm.
All in all – I had a great race. Beat my 2009 15K PR of 6:51 pace, bringing it down to 6:43/mi. My last 10K pace was 6:33/mi this year, versus 6:42 last year. I considered this to be good improvement!
6 weeks until Boston! With a few more good weeks of training and a 2 week trip around the world between now and Boston, it’s time for the final push! LET’S GO!