ironman.

I watched the Ironman competition in Madison this past weekend. What an amazing and inspiring event. Starting at 7am and allowing people to continue on the course until midnight, the event is much more of a personal mission than a race. Clearly I was not about to get up and watch the swimming leg at 7am, but in the afternoon I was able to watch a good bit of the transition from biking to running. What amazed me the most was that despite the age difference between the athletes (ranging mostly from mid-twenties to mid-fifties), I could hardly tell the difference when they were wearing their helmets. If only my legs could look that good when I am 50. Also quite intriguing is the amount of muscle definition in their legs, which is so visible even when doing something simple like stepping off their bike.

The marathon portion was less interesting to watch, if only because it was slower, and people look a lot worse when they run. However, the end was just incredible (obviously more incredible for them than for me, but still quite exciting). For every finisher, the crowd would cheer and the voice announced their name and hometown. Volunteers helped them walk to get water and make sure everything was OK. The number of competitors was impressive, but I was even more surprised at the number of people who were international. I never realized that it was such a big deal everywhere.

madison favorites.

This week held a couple Madison events: Summer Restaurant Week and the last Concert on the Square of the year.

Restaurant week consists of 6 days of various restaurants offering $25 fixed price menus (three courses). Naturally, because Madison has an abundance of restaurants for me to try, I had to make a couple of reservations. The final decision was Harvest and Fresco. Harvest, known for its local, organic food was a great experience. I was especially happy with their ability to adjust the reservation at the last minute (miscounting the number of people in your party is quite unfortunate). As for food, the skirt steak and seasonal fruit tart were fantastic; the grilled squid appetizer was good, but not amazing. Fresco, known for its location on the rooftop of the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art, was also fabulous. It definitely has the contemporary art feel, from their square plates/glasses to the white and black decor. All three courses were outstanding: an unbelievably good seared scallop appetizer, a grilled salmon entree (with a great salad), and a delicious dark chocolate cake. The cake was, by far, the shining star of the meal.

The last Wednesday was the last Concert on the Square of the year, which just happens to be the 25th anniversary of these events. Every summer, the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra plays six free concerts on the Capitol lawn. So many people come to watch, and not just watch, but eat too. And they don’t mess around. I saw multiple families with small tables complete with flowers in vases, candles, and a full dinner with lots of wine. My friends and I planned a small picnic of grilled kabobs, pasta salad, bread/cheese, cherries, chocolate chip cookies, and, of course, some wine. While I was not too impressed by the concert, it was still great fun to be part of such a favorite tradition.