the wagon

Being a complete glutton/whore for food/breakroom vulture/doughnut maniac does not help with the attempt to transform oneself into a serious runner.

Some things I have discovered: Eating a giant slice of peanut butter cheesecake the night before your first training group run is not a smart idea, unless you want to feel like you have a brick in your stomach. The Indian food all-you-can-eat buffet is also a bad choice, especially for anyone who might be behind you while you are running. And pre-run almonds are good for sprinting -- to the toilet, that is.

But the main thing I'm realizing is that it's really, really tough to mix running and alcohol. In fact, to be honest, during the month leading up to a race, I pretty much stop drinking entirely. (Although I was sort of bad this time around -- snuck a few sips of bubbly here and there.) I just find it difficult to stay properly hydrated when I'm drinking alcohol, and it's much easier to give in to cravings for things like -- ahem -- a giant slice of peanut butter cheesecake when I've been drinking. Also, I tend to get less sleep, and I'm less alert overall. And being hungover -- even just the slightest bit -- pretty much sucks and can ruin an entire workout.

Naturally, not drinking can get complicated for me since my day job involves tasting wine and my night job involves serving it to people at a wine bar. And to complicate matters even further, I seem to have signed up for back-to-back races until the first weekend of December (Healdsburg half on Oct. 11, and CIM -- 26.2, baby! -- on Dec. 6), which means I am pretty much training non-stop.

Which means that this lovely cocktail -- from the bar at Cyrus on Monday -- was a rare treat. It's called the Down By the Bay, and it's one of the restaurant's seasonal drink offerings. My favorite thing about it: The cilantro. It keeps the drink from being too sweet, but it's not too vegetal either.

Anyway, here's the recipe, courtesy of Pocket Lint.

Down By The Bay
Salt and Old Bay
Cilantro
3/4 Oz. Smirnoff
3/4 Oz. Buddhas Hand Citron Vodka
1/2 Oz. Lime Juice
1 1/2 Oz. Watermelon Juice
1/4 Oz. Simple Syrup
Shaken on the Rocks

How's that for a post-run recovery drink?