Yesterday, my wife and I went to downtown Denver to the outdoor pedestrian mall called 16th Street Mall. Go figure. It was pretty cold and the wind was whistling through the skyscrapers. We window shopped and ducked into warm shops when we just got too cold. We went to a nice cafe and watch the people walk by. Soon it simply became too cold so we retreated to our car and made our way to a quaint little neighborhood in south Denver. We were looking for a place called Sushi Den. We thought it was going to be a typical sushi bar, but we were mistaken. Earlier, before 16th Street, we tried to find it, but walked past it several times. The name and address were barely noticeable on the front of the unassuming building. It was closed until dinner. When we arrived for an early dinner, we quickly found out how wrong we were. There was a valet and a door man. As soon as we entered we were warmly greeted by the maître d and entered a beautiful lush five star restaurant. I indulged in a hot sake with grand marnier and a Thai calamari appetizer. It was New Year's Day so I allowed myself this squid exception. Our sushi dinners were luscious. I had the vegetarian rolls. They had asparagus, shitake mushrooms, thin slice of cucumber, and portabello mushroom rolled in sticky rice and seaweed. I'm going to try to make my own soon. I also had a few mango martini's. The best part was that the Greene Naftali Gallery in NYC paid the bill with a gift card. What a great way to start the new year!
Of course the gym was closed New Year's Eve and New Year's Day, but it was open today. I screamed through my favorite "Oh Mama" trail. Instead of watching my progress or time or speed, I watched my heart beat. I usually can only get it up to 130 or so, but today I pumped as hard as I could and averaged 136 and topped 148 for a few seconds. The end result was a victorious new record for the run. I beat my old mark by 30 seconds. I didn't think I would ever break that record, but I was wrong. Then I proceeded to do a full weight lifting session followed by 30 minutes of shooting hoops. When I got home it was a balmy 40 degrees, so I got my road bike out and circled our neighborhood five times. You have to understand we have some very serious inclines and declines. By now, my legs were fried and the temperature had already dropped to about 30 degrees and the little slush pools were freezing over. My road bike has smooth tires that are about one inch wide. They do not ride well even in the slightest puddle of slush or ice. However, riding the road bike today was magical. As I sliced through the frigged air, I became one with the bike. I loved it. I can't wait until it warms a bit and melts the ice off of the trails. One thing is for sure; my virtual bike training in the gym is being very effective. My diet today was great. Definitely a 4 out of 5... thus far. Again, a great way to start the new year.
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