Run Eat Drink Podcast
Welcome to the Run Eat Drink Podcast! This is the podcast where we embark on exciting adventures, combining our love for running, delicious food, and tasty beverages. Whether you’re an elite runner aiming for victory or just starting your “Couch to 5K” journey, we’ve got something for you. Let’s dive into the three pillars of our show:
Accomplish (Run): Accomplishment is deeply personal. Are you eyeing a race series win, planning your next “run-cation,” or hoping to set a personal record in your next half-marathon? Each week, we feature fantastic destination races from around the country. Discover scenic courses, learn about the charities they support, and get inspired to lace up those running shoes. And when we’re not on the road, we share interviews, training tips, and insights from our own running journey.
Explore (Eat): Running and traveling go hand in hand. As we explore new places, we also explore local cuisine. We seek out hidden gems—the eateries that locals rave about. Bold flavors, interesting dishes, and passion for food—that’s what we’re after. After each race, join us as we wander the city streets, discovering post-race refueling spots. Whether it’s a gastropub, a food truck, or a cozy café, we’ve got dining options to satisfy your cravings.
Indulge (Drink): When the running is done, it’s time to unwind. We raise our glasses to celebrate our accomplishments. Local breweries, coffee shops, speakeasies, and watering holes—these are our destinations. From craft beers to artisanal cocktails, we explore the beverage scene. Cheers to a well-deserved drink after crossing the finish line!
Join us on this journey of accomplishment, exploration, and indulgence. Whether you’re a seasoned runner or a curious foodie, there’s a place for you at the Run Eat Drink Podcast.
Run Eat Drink Podcast
RED Episode 304 From Park Run to Pub Grub: A Florida Runner's Perfect Day
SHOUTOUTS
Congratulations to Jessica Lynn O’Keefe, Eric Million, and his daughter Brooklyn on completing the Donut Dash to benefit the Cape Coral Police Department’s Police Athletic League.
If you want a shout-out for you or someone else you love on the show, email us at info@runeatdrink.net or call us and leave a message at 941-677-2733
RUN
Aimee celebrates a belated Saint Patrick’s Day this week by running the Time To Paddy 5K in Punta Gorda, Florida.
Find out more about the races here: https://runsignup.com/Race/FL/PuntaGorda/TimeToPaddyKKLuckyFortMeyers
EAT
We had to have an Irish meal, so we headed to the Celtic Ray Public House in Punta Gorda. We break down their Irish standards for you.
For more of their menu visit: https://celticray.net/pub-food/.
DRINK
Of course, it is time for a pint of Irish origin at the Celtic Ray. Which ones did we have? Did we have Irish coffee? What about their new full-liquor bar specialties?
Visit. https://celticray.net/drinks-menu/ to see their current tap list and more.
THAT’S A WRAP!
Thanks to MagicMind for sponsoring this week’s show. Don’t forget we have a limited-time offer you can use now that gets you up to 48% off your first subscription or 20% off one-time purchases with code REDPOD at checkout.
Go to www.magicmind.com or use our discount code, REDPOD, at checkout.
Or go to https://www.magicmind.com/REDPOD20.
THAT’S A WRAP!
Thank you for listening! Because of your support, we are in our eighth year of the podcast! Don’t forget to follow us and tell us where to find you next on our website, Facebook, Instagram, and X. Also, check out our store on the website and get some swag, thanks to Pure Creative Apparel. Thanks to www.PodcastMusic.com for providing the music for this episode, too!
Hi everyone. It's Mevka Flezgahi, the Boston Marathon, new York City Marathon champion and Olympic silver medalist, and you are listening to the Run Eat Drink podcast.
Speaker 2:Welcome to the Run Eat Drink podcast. We feature destination races from across the country and after the race, we take you on a tour of the best local food and beverage to celebrate. So, whether you are an elite runner or a back of the packer like us, you'll know the best places to accomplish, explore and indulge on your next runcation. Hey, welcome to episode 304 of the Runny Drink Podcast, or, as my father, the math professor, would have said, episode 304 with no. And I'm your host, amy.
Speaker 1:And I'm your co-host, Dana. I didn't know there was a right way and a wrong way to say that 304.
Speaker 2:Welcome to episode 304.
Speaker 1:Topping 300. That's amazing, we did.
Speaker 2:Feels like it's been a minute since I've been here. We did and shout out to Eric and Jesse who helped us do that.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Welcome back.
Speaker 1:Thank you.
Speaker 2:How's things?
Speaker 1:My day job is keeping me very busy Incredibly. So yeah, there's been a lot of between personal travel, day job, work travel, upcoming and all that. It's going to be a little hit or miss, but glad to be here.
Speaker 2:I'll be here. You'll be here, I'll be here. So if you can just put up with me, if you can put up with just me, I know what you mean, they know what you mean.
Speaker 1:Welcome to the Runny Drink Podcast everybody. We tell you all the great places to accomplish and explore and indulge, and we're super excited for this week because it's a bit of a first run back for you.
Speaker 2:Yes.
Speaker 1:After some time.
Speaker 2:Yes.
Speaker 1:Indeed, and I'm excited to hear all about that, and I know we have great food and beverage to talk about as well.
Speaker 2:Because you had some. I did?
Speaker 1:I skipped the running part this week and went right to the eating and drinking.
Speaker 2:We have a lot of listeners that do that.
Speaker 1:I'm here for you.
Speaker 2:Those bumper stickers that say 00. There's no shame in that. No, your thing might be weightlifting, your thing might be yoga, your thing might be Pilates or dance.
Speaker 1:Or whatever, and my particular instance it's been I have still to give everybody just a little bit of an update. Let's go into updates. Yes, my left Achilles still is angry and I have all but stopped running.
Speaker 2:Yes, you have.
Speaker 1:I do cardio define cardio elliptical. So there's still movement in the Achilles tendon there.
Speaker 2:That doesn't make it worse.
Speaker 1:It doesn't seem to be helping it much but the so I'm still getting my cardio in. I'm not doing impact like running, and then I'm focusing more on weight training right now. So it's good I'm getting my fitness goals or achieving my fitness goals, working towards them. But yeah, that Achilles still hurts and this is the insertional Achilles tendonitis, where the Achilles goes into the heel bone down, and that right there where it's at, the doctor said they can't do a shot because it can cause it to rupture.
Speaker 2:That's nice.
Speaker 1:So it's basically like yeah, this'll, this'll get better. Quote unquote with time rested, okay, we're probably pushing a year now where it's not.
Speaker 2:It's been a hot minute, yeah, yeah. So, the last time that you ran a race would have been Disneyland half. Disneyland half which was January 2024. Yeah, but we're just glad to have you here, because food and beverage and I miss my co-host Well, I hope that I bring something to the table.
Speaker 1:Won't be any running this week, but you've got that covered.
Speaker 2:I do.
Speaker 1:But you've also got some other things covered. Shout outs.
Speaker 2:I do. Let's talk about shout outs. I mentioned Jesse and Eric at the top, saying that they are the ones who have been so helpful in getting us going again after our hiatus, after our hiatus, and we appreciate everybody in the Runcation Nation. Just to say thank you for your patience and for your support.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's been absolutely not something that's easy to quantify or really even easy to talk about, and heaven knows, you guys have been there for us over the years with deaths in the family and illnesses and things like that, and we can't thank you enough. So it's it's hard when it takes us away from doing the show.
Speaker 1:Cause we love it and we know that you guys, especially those of you who are subscribers on Patreon or buy me a coffee, we know we, we owe you some content and we appreciate to to the ends of the earth the fact that you're still there with us. Your trust will not be misplaced, so thank you.
Speaker 2:And congratulations to Jesse Eric and his daughter Brooklyn for completing the donut dash in Cape Coral to benefit the Cape Coral Police Department. Police athletically.
Speaker 1:Yeah, pal, that's our PAL program at the Cape Coral PD. It's a fantastic program. We have just tons of kids that are getting connected with youth sports activities. This is just a phenomenal way to channel kids or funnel kids into really rewarding programs that can build skills for them that they can take with them later in life, that can keep kids out of trouble. Not that every kid involved in PAL is an at-risk youth by any stretch, but it's. It's a great way to help ensure that doesn't happen and connect with officers within the department. So we have one officer who's fully assigned, full-time assigned, to the police athletic league and that person is a coordinator. He used to coordinate a youth program with the New York Knicks.
Speaker 1:So, he's really good at what he does and he's grown the program and but we have officers throughout the department that coach football or soccer. I think the most recent thing that we've got coming up is going to be an archery program.
Speaker 2:Archery.
Speaker 1:Really Whoa. It's really neat and is that facility?
Speaker 2:is that connected to a school or is it independent of that? Like a community, more of a community thing?
Speaker 1:I don't think that it's connected to a school, but they may be doing it at a school, like for the location.
Speaker 2:The facilities and equipment. Exactly.
Speaker 1:There used to be, like years and years ago here in Florida, there were archery programs. Archery was offered as a PE.
Speaker 2:I don't think many schools do that anymore.
Speaker 1:No, the last time I saw that offered at a school it was in a fictional movie that was based on a Shakespeare play called Taming of the Shrew, except for it was modernized in the 90s, called 10 Things I Hate About you, where they were practicing archery on the football field.
Speaker 2:Yes, that's a movie, but they used to legitimately offer archery as a PE. Well, that's I. But I think that in the police athletic league you also have it's teaching all of the teenagers who are involved in that program life skills that pay off down the road.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, concepts of sportsmanship and fair play and teamwork, I think are.
Speaker 2:Collaboration, support, encouragement Incredibly valuable.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so it's a phenomenal program. I'm really glad that we had some people here locally that we knew.
Speaker 2:Did you see the medal? It's going to do it. Yeah, it's like a donut with a police flag.
Speaker 1:It's cute.
Speaker 2:It's so adorable.
Speaker 1:Yeah, they did a great job.
Speaker 2:And speaking of adorable, when Eric and Jesse had their two episodes here back to back recapping the big beach marathon weekend we had Miss Brooklyn introduced the show and she, in her second 5K at this event, won first in her age group. Oh, that's fantastic. First in her age group. Oh, that's fantastic. First in her age group. Look at her. Go Applause to you, brooklyn, and thanks for introducing the show over the last couple of episodes. You've been great, so cute, so cute.
Speaker 1:If you want a shout out for you or someone else you love on the show, email us at info at runeatdrinknet. That's info at runeatdr drinknet. That's info at run eat drinknet.
Speaker 2:Or you can call us. It's old school, it's not 941-677-2733. Leave us a message or you can text that number too, but we would really love to play your voice on the show. Give a shout out for yourself or for someone you know in the runcation nation. Celebrate an accomplishment, exactly. Let's talk running. Let's talk running. St patrick's day was on a monday this year, just no yeah, that shouldn't be allowed just.
Speaker 1:The answer is no I don't think that serves anybody very well, like those that are going to go out and revel are going to go out and revel on sunday saturday or sunday, saturday pretty much, so you can recover sentences are really good. They're not coming into work on monday, so we should move. That should be moved till.
Speaker 2:It should always be like the third saturday in march or something friday or saturday I don't know is there some kind of historical thing that it has to be on 17th for some reason? I'm sure history major. Anyway, I don't know. Is there some kind of historical thing that it has to be on 17 for some reason? I'm sure History major.
Speaker 2:Anyway, I don't remember if anybody knows you can info at running drinknet or nine, four, one, six, seven, seven, two, seven, three, three. But so there were some delayed St Patrick's day runs. And when I was looking around here because I'm still e-coaching with Jeff Galloway and he is helping me slowly return to a training regimen after some time off and while my knee is just being special, and not cooperating.
Speaker 1:And by special we mean it doesn't have any cartilage but other than that I mean, just the outside of my left knee is going.
Speaker 2:You don't need to walk today. What, what is that? It's no. So it says no. But jeff says yes, you can, and hooray for endorphins and for taking it slow as you ramp back up. So I was this whole last what? Two weeks I was doing like five minute walks and then I would stop and get some water and for a couple minutes off and then do five minutes on, and so I looked for an event that would have a long time limit and would have several different distances, so I could opt for one that I felt good and comfortable with.
Speaker 1:This is a technique that we've used in many races over the years. Sure, the Donna Marathon weekend does this the Southernmost Half Marathon and the Key West Half both do this Love that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so you'll have the 5K distance, the 10K, the half and the full all running simultaneously? Yes, and because logistics are what they are and they have to keep race courses closed, it tends to give you a lot of extra cushion on the shorter distances because they've got to be open for the full marathon or the half that they're doing so this one was called the time to paddy 5k 10k and lucky 5K 10K and Lucky 13.1.
Speaker 2:P-a-d-d-y, p-a-d-d-y, okay, and they actually also had a Kids Dash and a One Miler, oh nice. Even though that's not really advertised on, we'll link to it in the show notes in case anybody is vacationing down here.
Speaker 1:We know we have a lot of people who escape the winter and come we do, or they've been known to, come and hang out or spring, break it, yeah, break it so now, this race was in punta gorda, florida, so that for us that's about 40 minutes up the road. Yeah, it's not a bad drive, it's an airport there. There's a small airport there. Actually, allegiant Airlines flies out of there. Not a sponsor of the show, but they could be, they absolutely could be, and they have their airport hubs there. Allegiant's got ridiculously cheap flights.
Speaker 2:To lots of different places.
Speaker 1:Like good places and Punta Gorda Airport number one everybody who flies in and out of it loves it. And Punta Gorda Airport number one everybody who flies in and out of it loves it. Number two it's a short drive from there, either down here to the Cape Coral, fort Myers area, naples, or if you're going to go north, you're 45 minutes from Sarasota.
Speaker 2:That's good yeah.
Speaker 1:So it puts you in a good location and you can usually get an Allegiant one-way for $40.
Speaker 2:That is so inexpensive, it's so cheap yeah.
Speaker 1:Now, of course, the joke is that you might have to get out and push the airplane to take off. But no, in all seriousness, they do use an older fleet of planes. But one interesting thing in that area in Punta Gorda, port Charlotte, punta Gorda Allegiant has purchased and built a beautiful resort called the Sun Seeker and you can get very reasonable rates to stay at a four-star resort. So you could literally come down, fly into Punta Gorda, stay at the Sun Seeker for under $200 a day if you're wanting to have a nice Southwest Florida vacation and that was the case.
Speaker 2:I'm looking at their pools. They're awesome.
Speaker 1:Their pools. They have one down on the ground and one up on the roof.
Speaker 2:What the rooms look amazing. I'm just saying Anyway.
Speaker 1:Anyway, I digress, we'll put links in the show notes to check that out if you're looking to come to Southwest Florida. But the main thing is, you found this race. I did I didn't even know you were doing a race. You got up at the crack of early on a Saturday. I'm like what are you doing? You're like I got a 5K to run.
Speaker 2:Okay.
Speaker 1:Usually when I get up that early.
Speaker 2:You think I'm working my day job, but no, I was headed to punta gorda to do a 9 am start. Oh, it's a little later of a start than yeah, which was okay because we were having beautiful weather yes if we had a bell that wouldn't two months, that would suck but we would ring it. But it was at south county regional park which is in punta Gorda, and it is a sports complex.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it sounds like you had a multi-use park there. With what pickleball tennis?
Speaker 2:Pickleball, tennis courts, baseball fields there were like pools there and then there are long sidewalks around these facilities. There are bodies of water where people can sail their little boats and it was like a huge pickleball saturday and pickleball's gotten so huge down here and a huge everybody's going to come out and set their little boats in the water and just sail them.
Speaker 2:But it was and packet pickup was available the morning of Okay and it was so super smart to have it in this enclosed kind of regional park because they only had to have maybe one, two, maybe three total police officers manning the course.
Speaker 1:For the whole course. That's not bad.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:That's a huge cost for any race. When you see police on the course doing the whole course, that's not bad. Yeah, that's a huge cost for any race you see police on the course doing traffic control. That's very expensive.
Speaker 2:Yeah, good for them and they also in the registration. It was I don't know, maybe it was because I registered so late, it was like maybe 40, but what was really good was because I registered the day before okay, when I found it.
Speaker 2:But they had registration options that said come volunteer before the race and you can get into all the events for 15 bucks oh, that's nice if you come during packet pickup between 7 30 and the race start, which was like 8 55 for the kids dash which they did before all the longer events and it was so I thought that was unique and I loved that it was inside this regional park so that you had those baseball fields which had indoor facilities so you didn't have to go through renting a porta potties oh nice portalettes or that, that kind of thing, that they were there now on, because the how many people were there.
Speaker 1:Hundreds or thousands? Hundreds, hundreds, okay.
Speaker 2:Hundreds, hundreds. So it was a smaller kind of event and the course was okay. The 5K course was an out and back, and then the 10K was you do it twice, and then the half was you do it four times. Okay, was you do it twice, and then the half was you do it four times.
Speaker 1:So I get that it's a regional kind of course, a small local.
Speaker 2:It's a small local and there wasn't oh, it's not a.
Speaker 2:There's going to be djs at every mile and, like beer stops or that, that kind of it's more of a park run yeah, it's more of a park run, but at the same time they had the water stop halfway in the 5k and then the turnaround for the 10k and a half were just like. They had different color cones set up so you know when to turn around gotcha, and they had the yellow placards with the red arrows to show where everybody needed to go and basically it was straight and flat, like part sidewalk, part asphalt.
Speaker 1:I was going to say all paved.
Speaker 2:Yeah, no trail running. That's good, no trail running. They did the Kids Dash at 8.55.
Speaker 2:And then which I thought was different, because normally we see kids races after the big races- are over but it, but it was the reverse this time and then it, and then we all took off at the same time and they didn't have corrals because it was more of a park run. They just said just line up according to your pace and if you're slower, started at the back. I didn't see too many there. There were a few moms and kids and dads and kids, not too many strollers. There were people walking dogs apart from the race, not registered for the race that were on the path, okay, with their dogs, adorable so you, you would have an opportunity to run into the dogs, but you didn't see many runners with dogs, gotcha.
Speaker 2:And I believe that there were a couple of assisted runners that were like deaf runners or hearing impaired, which was awesome to see, like they're going two by two, and people of all sorts of ability or physical levels, training levels. So everybody was just so nice because it was an out and back. When people were doing their loops they were all like you've got this and how are you doing? And I met a girl named shout out to Jordan Jordan who, who is actually in Fort Myers and she's she was wearing Brooks and I was admiring her Brooks and you know how we feel about the Brooks addictions and love the shoes.
Speaker 1:You're not a sponsor. You could be, could be.
Speaker 2:Anyway, I admired her and she goes oh, you really need to go to fleet feet and have them map and scan your feet and I guess they're out in fort myers at the bell tower, which is a local mall, outdoor mall and she said, yeah, you should come out there and then do some of the events, some of the evening runs that are there, that are like we're getting ready for a Cinco de Mayo one with Cantina Laredo and doing some Mexican food, margaritas and running, and I was like oh yeah, that yes.
Speaker 2:So shout out to Jordan, she did the 10k. And Larissa, somebody that I met at the finish, she was taking video of me finishing because I had my phone going and I was like and people were clapping and just like the volunteers and the other runners who were finishing ahead of me were like so friendly and so much, they're all applauding and she's taking film, she's taking her iPhone and I was like sporting the sparkle skirt, part of the sparkle squad, and it runs on coffee. Shout out to you and also positively, polly one, jojo, I'm now I'm doing two, twos all the time and or running skirts, like that. So I was, I had my phone going and I was filming and I was having I have the tiger in my ear and I was just having my hands up and she said, oh I got such a cute video of you crossing the finish line, let me send it to you.
Speaker 2:And and so she did. And while we were trading, one of the volunteers who was passing out the snacks pretzels, rice Krispie squares, granola bars.
Speaker 1:Oh, that's nice At the end of the race, yeah, instead of a free banana.
Speaker 2:No bananas, actually no bananas, all of those things and granola bars if I didn't say that before and water. And they had little iPad minis set up so that you could enter your bib number and check your times. And one of the volunteers was like, why don't you check your bib number and see if you got like an age reward or something? And I was like, oh no, trust me, I walked the whole thing. I passed like people passed me a number of times. I passed like people passed me a number of times. I met Larry and Betsy and their dog and all of these other dogs that were on the just on the trail having a beautiful day walk out there in a park. But yeah, no, I'm fairly certain I'm your last finisher, so it's. And she's oh no. And she entered my bib number and she says, yeah, you got an age group award. And I was like, are you really?
Speaker 1:okay, I saw your post in social media, for that I'm like that's cool so that was fun.
Speaker 2:That was fun and it just and the age group award is almost like one of your tie tacks.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's a magnetic bar yeah that's, you could pin it to I think it's meant to go on the ribbon. On the ribbon, however, like looking at your metal which, by the way, for a 5k they give you some good bling well yeah and it's it's huge, it's a lucky.
Speaker 2:It's a lucky horseshoe golden horseshoe and that part is metal and gold. And then there's a coaster it's meant to be a coaster which says Time to Paddy and has the clover and says 5K, 10k and Lucky 13.1. And it's got a gold and green Time to Paddy ribbon.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and what I like about it is on the back of the metal it's got. The coaster has like little rubber feet. Legit it's a coaster, it's a neat little metal that's.
Speaker 2:That is super cool so you could take, because you have the velcro. You could take the ribbon off, yeah, and then just use it as a coaster, or you could just, and you could keep the ribbon with the age group award, which is silver oh, what I was going to say is I think that the magnets are just not and they need to be a little stronger maybe because that's a nice ribbon that they put on.
Speaker 1:That it's nice and yeah, it is and the magnet doesn't really stick quite as much as you would like and it just says age group award there you go on, it so adjust.
Speaker 2:But I was like, oh, my goodness, this is like the second time in my entire running life and I'm sure that I'm the very last of the awards in that particular age group. As we all know, I've crossed over.
Speaker 1:However, you're now an award-winning runner.
Speaker 2:I'm an award-winning runner, y'all.
Speaker 1:So there.
Speaker 2:I love their little bib, their chip-timed it's.
Speaker 1:This is different. I think this is the first time that we've seen a race done by bodies race company yes and yeah, nice, tie back bib.
Speaker 2:Uh-huh, it's a small bib, the it is, but it doesn't have to be huge really but chip time.
Speaker 1:That's super cool. And then they gave you a cute shirt, although it is definitely cotton.
Speaker 2:It's cotton. I'm not going to be wearing it to run Not to run in, especially in the summer months that are coming to you.
Speaker 1:Coming soon.
Speaker 2:Coming to the runners near you ASAP. We can't stop it.
Speaker 1:But it's a Kelly Green shirt that says who needs luck with all this charm.
Speaker 2:And it's got a bunch of pink hearts, orange stars, yellow moons, green clovers, blue diamonds.
Speaker 1:It's got all those little icons around it. It's very cute. It is, and now it makes me want lucky charms, but it's not like a real race shirt no. You would expect, where you have all of the company sponsors on the back and all that. It's less racy.
Speaker 2:And because it was a park-type run I mean, they had beast pacing and they also had a connection where you could give to a charity, rosedale International and they tried to reach youth overseas 's I just thought it was a very well put together event. They had an announcer that was right at the finish and as you were coming across they would announce you. That person would announce you and also he was also as you finished, you could look up on the iPads and if you you got, you could collect the award. It wasn't like a award ceremony proper, but I thought that was cool, so you didn't have to wait necessarily.
Speaker 1:Right, we've been to races where you have to wait for a ceremony after everyone's done.
Speaker 2:If you're super fast, you could be there a while, because I'm super slow.
Speaker 1:But you're still an award-winning runner. Happy about that so, all in all your experience, would you do this race again? Would you recommend it?
Speaker 2:I would, and I think that there are several different races throughout the year at that location. You could I think there might be one in april coming. Same kind of thing, same situation, different theme. So if you were, like, like we said, doing the punta gorda airport and allegiant and the sun seeker and you just wanted something different, yeah then you could definitely have a runcation there, nice. So that's just something different, something to consider.
Speaker 1:We will have links in the show notes for this race event and I believe they'll probably link off to some of their others that they do throughout the year. So that's going to be on run signupcom and check that out on the show notes.
Speaker 2:But once you're done with the run, of course there's food and beverage, but really, okay, we had a delayed celebration of saint patrick's day because it was on a weekday and all of that. I guess you could stay. I had you could say there's a tongue twister coming.
Speaker 1:I can see you thinking.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you could say I decided to sleep in on the Sunday after the staycation runcation-ish weekend the morning after the race. I'm not saying that there was not food and beverage and indulgence and exploration and that kind of thing, but yeah, of course you know me and if you follow us at runnydrinknet you go to our social media channels. We love coffee. Oh yeah, we would never be without it in the morning. But I also reached for Magic Mind the morning after and I really I feel like that has been consistently the thing that has been keeping me in the game at work and as I start to ramp up the training with Jeff. So it's a it's a great addition to the coffee. Don't have to give up the coffee and I like that. It's not just a quick fix.
Speaker 1:No, I use Magic Mind for my mid-afternoon pick-me-up. So for me it's all about coffee in the morning and then after my app says I should stop doing caffeine by 11.
Speaker 1:I'm always good at that. Sleep, rise, sleep, rise, sleep. Not a sponsor. Magic Mind, however, is my afternoon pick-me-up, and it's your adaptogenic mushrooms, it's your matcha, it's everything that gives you that lift and that clarity, without the or that caffeine can induce and without the detrimental effects on sleep later on, cause I've been trying to work really hard on my sleep discipline, and so I've been taking magic mind in the morning consistently and I also got.
Speaker 2:They're now sleep shots yes, they're sleep performance shots which also have lavender. They're natural ingredients that have been vetted and tested and it's I like that calming influence of lavender and the magnesium. What do you do? You say?
Speaker 1:glyconate or glycinate yeah, tomato, tomato, yeah, okay which is something that we were taking as a supplement before getting the magic mind sleep performance shots.
Speaker 2:They look like that purple color of lavender and they're the same size as the morning shots that we have, the performance shots that get us going and or sustain us without having the dip the caffeine dip in the day. So it's I, just I'm so happy that they have expanded into the arena to make it just a well rounded program for you. Yeah, absolutely so.
Speaker 1:It's almost like bookending your day right, so I look at it as the right tool at the right time.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah. So I don't feel groggy in the morning, I feel good going to sleep at night and because I feel like sleep is important. Yes, work life, but also in training as we do it. Oh, absolutely, we do have a limited time offer Thanks to Magic Mind.
Speaker 1:Yes, who is kind enough to sponsor this week's episode of the Run Eat Drink podcast? Their offer gets you up to 48% off your first subscription, or 20% off of a one-time purchase with code REDPOD that's R-E-D-P-O-D at checkout. And you know what I get it. People go oh, subscription. Oh, here we go, try it for the first. Do a one-off. Yeah, do that. You could do the 20% off. Get the 20% off, give it a shot. If you don't like it, you're going to like it, I think, yeah.
Speaker 2:Especially if you try the gummies too, that are like that green apple situation.
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Speaker 2:So you can go to magicmindcom slash redpod20 or at magicmindcom you can enter the code RED R-E-D, pod, p-o-d. And we thank Magic Mind for sponsoring this week's show.
Speaker 1:We'll have a link in the show notes. So let's talk food, because again, all this talk of running did make me work up an appetite.
Speaker 2:Oh sure.
Speaker 1:And when you said you were coming home from the race, I was a little surprised. I'm like, oh, coming home early. I a little surprised, I'm like oh, coming home early. I knew where we were going to end up when you told me you were doing the race for the meal for the meal. Of course, I knew where we were going to end up, so you had to come back home, do some stuff for work, and then later on we had to go back to punta gorda. Oh for we, we got to.
Speaker 2:It was essential. I'm going to tell you because, oh, punta Gorda.
Speaker 1:I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt.
Speaker 2:Oh no, I can remember when I was a kid growing up there, because my mom, my dad, my sister and I we were there when I was in elementary school. Yeah, and it's grown up a lot.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, they've got such a neat little downtown area and really since 2004 it's had a bit of a resurgence and there have been neat businesses and restaurants and bars and hotels that have gone in there, and one one that's been a mainstay for many years is the celtic ray public house, since 1997 yeah yeah, and when. 2004 is a big year. That's the year that Hurricane Charlie hit and devastated Punta Gorda and Port Charlotte.
Speaker 2:Oh.
Speaker 1:So they've managed to survive.
Speaker 2:That park was right there by Punta Gorda Middle School and Charlotte High School.
Speaker 1:Which are all brand new.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and just to see how that has rebuilt is just wonderful to see.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it really is, and this place has been a mainstay for downtown Punta Gorda, like you said, since 97. Uh-huh, and it's known for having fantastic traditional Irish food. Oh, yes, and being a really traditional Irish pub in terms of what it offers and and it didn't disappoint. So let's talk food when you get there.
Speaker 2:They have a lot of outdoor seating.
Speaker 1:They have two levels two levels big outdoor patio area. That's where they'll allow smoking outside. Indoors is more traditional dark wood, darker colors stained glass really good pub feel atmosphere.
Speaker 2:Yeah yes, exposed brick, and then they have a chalkboard up there behind the bar and you come up and you order at the bar and it's we saw. We sat at the bar, which I loved, and had good conversation with the bartenders and, oh, what can I say? We started with what? A scotch egg, scotch egg.
Speaker 1:Which is that's usually done as a soft-boiled egg that's then wrapped in sausage and then breaded and then deep-fried so that it cooks all the way through. So good. And it's traditionally served with a mustard dipping sauce. Oh, and that's exactly the presentation that we got. Is that like?
Speaker 2:whipped that mustard sauce. I don't know, but it was like the consistency of a mayo.
Speaker 1:It's more like an aioli it's like an aioli with a coarse ground mustard whipped into it.
Speaker 2:It was so good. And I like how it was divided up, like it was split up. Little wedges yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and again, that's just a very traditional dish. It's certainly not light by any stretch of the imagination, but it's one of those things you can get here at this pub, along with the other amazing pub traditions that they have it's shareable.
Speaker 2:I like that that's shareable, and-. And that was the first plate that came out with their soda bread.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and you get a slice of soda bread. But I think with everything that we got, we got a slice of soda bread, yes, and then you could actually get a separate side of soda bread if you wanted. Glorious, so they're making it fresh in house. And it was nice and dense, just a wonderful texture, and you get that hint of soda in the bite after you swallow.
Speaker 2:It's so good and it it's just a great job with it. Look, you can have a. You have to call ahead, but you can have a loaf you can have them make a loaf for you.
Speaker 1:That's awesome. Yes, you know what? If you're wanting to get it for saint patrick's day and you didn't want to bake it yourself, I could totally see doing that.
Speaker 2:Totally. I am just saying yeah.
Speaker 1:So we started with the scotch egg, which I'm a big fan of. Who doesn't like sausage and eggs? So give that a shot if you've never had one.
Speaker 2:It's so good. I know people feel like they're people who feel a certain way about eggs. They just don't like them, but I love them in all their forms.
Speaker 1:I think they're hard to beat and in terms of, especially if you're eating, looking for, counting your macros and all that, eggs are one of the things you can get. Great for protein. Sausage, great for protein. Yes, you're going to get your fat in there, but that's OK.
Speaker 2:So good. What else was good? It was really hard.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I know To choose. We almost ended up getting the same thing, but at the last minute I zigged so you ended up with the fish and chips.
Speaker 2:Oh, I did and what was the okay? So sometimes when we go to Disney, it's tilapia.
Speaker 1:If you go to Epcot and you go to the Rosencrown, which is their English pub.
Speaker 1:Yes yes, not Irish. Their English pub there right next door is their fish and chips stand. The fish and chips stand. There is tilapia, that is beer, battered, fried and then served with chips or French fries French fries Really thick. If you go inside to the Rose and Crown, they serve Atlantic cod or black cod, so you get a higher quality fish inside. That said, I'm a big fan of the the fish stand. They do a great job out there so you can't go wrong. So when we, when you ordered this, I was like oh, how is this gonna compare to either of those.
Speaker 2:and what'd you think? Oh, I'm I just so. It's all of the all of it on their menu. Icelandic cod. It was so flaky it wasn't fishy. The breading adhered to it perfectly. It was served piping hot, fresh out of the fryer. They were on it all night long with every table that we saw them running food.
Speaker 1:And they were serving a lot of food.
Speaker 2:Oh, it, you get two big pieces. Yeah, you had a lot of fish yeah I somebody who was not that hungry could split it easily, or I guess if you wanted to try more of the menu, you could not necessarily start with the scotch egg, but maybe start with this as an appetizer, or I don't know, but I just had to have. It was so hard to choose between that and the shepherd's pie which is what I got.
Speaker 1:Oh so their shepherd's pie was really nice. They did traditional rough mash of the coal cannon potatoes for the top layer and then and then the bottom layer, of course, was your, your mince meat or in it. In this preparation it was beef with that spiced gravy and carrots, and it was absolutely fantastic. They topped it with a sauce that has like a little sweet and sour kind of component to it, and it's called hb sauce yes yeah, this is something I've seen in the in the international food aisle at our local grocery store.
Speaker 1:It comes in a bottle that looks like an A1 steak sauce bottle here in the States, but this is a sauce that's traditionally sold or it's sold over in the UK and they drizzled the top of the shepherd's pie with that. So you got this wonderful creaminess from the potato, but the potatoes were not whipped to the point where they had no texture, so they had some bite to them. You also had just wonderful saucy, beefy bottom there that was perfectly spiced. And then you got this nice little, just a little bit of that sweet and sour from that hb sauce on top. So good. Yeah, they did a great job with that and the soda bread and then, of course, you get the soda bread magical.
Speaker 2:You got it with everything and you. The malt vinegar is there with you at the table, where you, if you're at a table or at the bar malt vinegar is more for the fish than the shepherd's pie, but yes. Yeah, but for the fries and for the. Yeah, it's so good.
Speaker 1:It's hard to beat.
Speaker 2:It's so stinking good, I just we didn't stop there.
Speaker 1:No.
Speaker 2:We really didn't.
Speaker 1:No. Because, we had dessert as well.
Speaker 2:We could have stopped there.
Speaker 1:In the course of conversing with our bartender, we learned that they have a Guinness ice cream there that is made at a local creamery right down the street just for them. So we order that they bring it out with a couple of spoons for sharing and it's in a crock like you would have French onion soup in, and they bring this ice cream out and the ice cream it's not quite white, it's not really super dark, it's an off-white color.
Speaker 2:I would say it looks like coffee ice cream.
Speaker 1:A little bit like coffee ice cream yeah like that color. And when you bite into it, that was the essence that I initially get yeah, and you said, this reminds me of coffee ice cream, but as you swallow, it's at the very end you get the beer flavor. Yes, it lingers the bitterness a little bit of the hoppiness comes through at that point, and as much hoppiness as you get in a Guinness, it's more roasty malt notes that you get.
Speaker 2:But that was really great to go with it, the Jameson's bread pudding.
Speaker 1:That didn't suck.
Speaker 2:Oh, so good, Like just pieces of bread and this caramelly.
Speaker 1:It's just slathered in this caramel with Jameson's Irish whiskey.
Speaker 2:Oh, so good.
Speaker 1:And it comes out and it's just perfect. Literally every bite and the edges of the bread pudding where it's been baked gets that real crisp caramelization and it's just crunchy on those crispy edges and soft on the inside. It's ridiculous. So honestly, we didn't, and there was so much on this menu that we didn't even get to touch. They have an entire, an entire pasty menu. I know it.
Speaker 1:I want to go back in the mood for hand pies of all varieties. You could find something to tickle your fancy there. And then they of course had bangers and mash, and you name it.
Speaker 2:Listen, their menu is ridiculous they said, if you want to have a magical experience, you need to get the guinness bacon cheeseburger pasty.
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 2:Stuffed with fresh hamburger, aged Wisconsin cheddar, sauteed onions, thick applewood smoked bacon simmered in Guinness beer cheese, served atop of it Chips and soda bread. Okay, when are we going back? I know right, Because it's all amazing and I'm so happy that they're there. In fact, I think that they did a bar takeover like a cocktail takeover at Nice Guys Pizza right after Hurricane Milton. Oh really, Like you said, the creamery down the road does their Guinness ice cream. So I get that same feeling from them that they lift up those around them. And it's like that with Nice Guy.
Speaker 1:Nice Guy's Pizza used to do beer shakes and they got a Tahitian vanilla bean ice cream custom made for them for the purposes of making those shakes by a local company that's now at a business called ice screaming, and they made that vanilla bean ice cream for them just for that. It was so delicious. Yeah, I love that they do that. I love that celtic ray is so good local partnerships and they're a fixture and it's one of those. If you're going to fly in Southwest Florida, this is one of those must do locations.
Speaker 2:Oh, it's so good, it's just so good. I highly recommend, oh, absolutely Highly recommend, not only for the food.
Speaker 1:No, they also might have a thing or two to drink on their menu.
Speaker 2:Yes, let's talk drinks.
Speaker 1:Are we going to get creative and go outside of the bar? Are we going to stay right there at the Celtic Ray for beverages as well?
Speaker 2:we're going to be at the Celtic Ray exactly.
Speaker 1:You know this. Their beer selection is out of this world. They do some local things, they do some things that are domestic. They also have a great selection of traditional irish pub beers that you would expect. Of course you're going to have your guinness, you're going to have your smithicks, you're going to have your harp kill kenny, your kill kenny. Those are going to be there. But then they also had beer by abita brewing in louisiana In Louisiana. And they had Schafferhofer, which is about as non-Irish as you could get.
Speaker 2:Brown chicken, brown cow brown ale.
Speaker 1:That's the first beer that I had.
Speaker 2:Yes, and I had not really heard of it how did you like it.
Speaker 1:This beer is made by Escape Brewing Company. Escape brewing company in trinity, florida. Five percent abv.
Speaker 2:This is a traditional brown ale and lighter than like a heavier bottle, like a than a stout.
Speaker 1:Yeah, lighter than a stout, really lighter than even a porter. This one was a little higher in, uh, in terms of carbonation. 5% ABV is perfect for something that's nice and drinkable. This had really nice notes of toasted malt and a little bit of bitterness, but nothing too bad at all and really enjoyed that one. That was my first, my first drink of the evening there.
Speaker 2:I had to have a strong bow in Guinness together. Yeah, of course, and it was beautiful and glorious. And you might even see a photo of that in the episode artwork Possibly or on our social media, because it's delightful and they knew how to pour it it was perfect.
Speaker 1:They did make some very nice black and tans or variations on black and tans.
Speaker 2:So there's like black and tan, and then there's black, velvet, and there are so many different.
Speaker 1:And, it was interesting, their version of the black and tan. They used Guinness and then they had an ESB that they were using instead of a harp or a bass sail.
Speaker 2:It was. I really enjoyed all of their different combinations, and even in the cider and guinness situation there was a magners that I think was on tap. They let us try a little bit of it before we actually committed to they have the elderberry there was an elderberry and I was like, oh, is it going to taste really earthy, or perfumey. Just like that floral earthy, whatever. But no, that was good, it was more berry.
Speaker 1:Yeah, Really that one surprised me. I was expecting the same thing. I was like this is going to be like perfume. Yeah, and it wasn't, it was delicious. And I think their combinations and their bartenders' recommendations for how to do that interplay between a little bit of house version of the black and tan is a nice choice because the Guinness actually smooths out the ESB and you don't get quite the bitter finish on it that you normally would. It ends up being a really drinkable black and tan.
Speaker 2:I don't know, ken, absolutely great job, and I'm going to tell you that their Irish coffee is no slouch either.
Speaker 1:They do make a pretty good Irish coffee. They make a nice presentation there. They have what they call bar cream, which is a slightly whipped cream but not fully whipped cream. So it's glorious.
Speaker 2:It's squirtable from a squirtable it is I love that and a squirt bottle.
Speaker 1:I love it. So they make the Irish coffee with the Irish whiskey and then top it with that and it's just fantastic. And brown sugar that was their secret ingredient For sweetening. For sweetening A little bit, yeah, just a phenomenal job All the way around.
Speaker 2:It's a great place with great beer. They also have wine. Non-alcoholic beverages they do, but we were there to celebrate delayed, belated St Patrick's Day.
Speaker 1:Exactly.
Speaker 2:So we had to have the different beer combinations and it was just a great way to celebrate. I walked a 5K, I walked a 5K, but it felt like such a victory and to celebrate it with such flavorful dishes and tasty beverages. Tasty, indulgent beverages. I couldn't have asked for a better weekend.
Speaker 1:Well, there you have it so good. So we're going to have a link in the show notes to the Celtic Ray. I believe they are at CelticRaynet and we'll we'll link there, but go check them out. For those of you that are going to be coming to Southwest Florida anytime soon, for sure, celtic Ray is one that you really need to make sure is in your, in your, repertoire.
Speaker 2:Oh, and it's right around the corner from. Leroy's Southern Kitchen. I just have to say.
Speaker 1:That's going to be for another episode, or-.
Speaker 2:Or you could go back Previous episodes we have certainly covered Leroy's in the past. Yes, so, yes, so you could make a lovely evening of it.
Speaker 1:But anyway, that is going to do it for this week's episode. We want to thank our friends at magic mind once again for sponsoring the show. Don't forget, we have a limited time offer for you and you can use it right now. That gets you up to 48 off your first subscription, or 20 off of a one-time purchase with code REDPOD R-E-D-P-O-D at checkout. Or go to magicmindcom slash redpod2020. Get that healthy boost with Magic Mind's mental performance shot and our discount code.
Speaker 2:I can tell you, going to magic mindcom, slash red pod 20. It's a small and simple addition to your daily routine that gets you focused, mentally clear and motivated, as well as productive, while reducing stress and getting your a hundred percent of vitamin C and D per bottle.
Speaker 1:Yes, hard to beat that Hard to beat.
Speaker 2:Really, we can't say thank you enough for sponsoring this week's show. Thank you, magic Mind, for giving the Runcation Nation this discount and us the opportunity to highlight something that really works for our fellow runners.
Speaker 1:Yeah, we wouldn't be endorsing this if we didn't use it and believe in it. Thank you, magic Mind, and thank you, runcation Nation, for supporting them and thereby supporting us as well, and thank you, runcation Nation, for supporting them and thereby supporting us as well. That's going to do it, though, for this week's episode.
Speaker 2:So thanks for joining us in 2025. On your long run, your commute to work around the house or wherever you are, I'm your host, amy.
Speaker 1:And I'm your co-host, Dana.
Speaker 2:Stay safe and well and we will accomplish, explore and indulge with you really soon. Thanks for listening to this week's episode of the Run Eat Drink podcast. We're having another great year thanks to your support. Don't forget to follow us on Facebook and Instagram. We're at runeatdrinkpodcast, and on Twitter we're runeatdrinkpod. Run Eat Drink podcast and on Twitter we're runeatdrinkpod. You can also give us a call at 941-677-2733 or send us an email at info at runeatdrinknet. Visit our website at runeatdrinknet and click on the subscribe link so you don't miss a minute. Find out how you can support the show at patreoncom slash. Run eat drink podcast. Accomplish, explore and indulge right along with us. We'll talk to you next time.
