Park City Half Marathon Packet-Pickup / Silver Star Cafe

The other day while perusing the running website I found a half marathon I decided I felt like doing:  Park City Half Marathon, which also includes a full marathon.  I wish I was ready to do a marathon, but my overall mileage indicates I have a ways to go, so I opted for the half.  I can't remember the last time I did a race that I wasn't running the longest distance possible and part of me felt like a whimp. Bah....

One of the stipulations of this race was that they strongly encouraged you to pick up your bib the day before the race.  Begrudgingly, I made the half hour drive out of the valley into the Park City Valley.  For those that aren't familiar with Park City, it is basically Utah's "French Riviera"  It is a very "uppity" town with lots of restrictive zoning codes, resorts, mansions, trails, biking, etc.  It is a slice of paradise that people go to for a change of pace or even just to vacation.

Only in Park City -- 11.5 mph...

Huge statue outside the restaurant

Shari had been itching to try a new restaurant and she had seen a few on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives that featured Park City.  I Googled around and discovered two of them in Park City and we opted to try the Silver Star Cafe located just above the golf course and right beside a very cool hiking trail.  It is off the beaten trail and I had to use my phone's GPS to find it.

I am not sure why triple-D visited here.  I wouldn't call the place a diner and it certainly wasn't a drive-in nor a dive.  Like the rest of Park City, it was a very nice restaurant sporting a beautiful view of the valley.  It was extremely charming there and it was perfect weather -- low to mid 80's sunny and just totally comfortable.  We snagged a prime, outdoor seat and enjoyed the views.

The service was prompt and I opted for a Utah trout plate and a freshly made lemonade.  Shari got a pizza.  The menu is actually fairly small but offers a lot of vegetarian and gluten-free foods.  It is also fairly pricey, with most dinner options in the low 20's.

The food was excellent in terms of taste.  The pizza was good but not out of the world extraordinary. The trout was done to perfection and the succotash was extremely flavorful.  It was like a party in my mouth.  Also the freshly squeezed lemonade was excellent.  But I have a man-sized appetite.  Hence that's why I frequent buffets.  As you can see from the picture I easily inhaled my plate in about 10 fork fulls and wound up eating 66% of Shari's pizza.  The portions just weren't there for me and while the food was excellent, if it hadn't been for Shari's pizza I would've left hungry and about $25 lighter.  Also there was no salad or bread... sigh.

Afterwards we drove back towards the freeway and I picked up my bib at the (posh) Newpark Hotel and Resort.  It was fairly easy packet pickup and I was in and out in a few minutes.  I did wind up running into the winner of the Casper Marathon and exchanged hellos.

On the way back, we were lamenting the fact that we were both a little underfed.  We took out our frustrations at the Midvale Culvers.  Shari's jaw dropped when I ordered fries AND a sundae.. Let's just say my appetite was satiated by the time I left.

I don't have any huge expectations on my race tomorrow.  Just about everything below my waist isn't happy.  Too many miles, not enough rest and too much racing.  I am having fun racing though and I may have to dial back the pace tomorrow a bit assuming everything holds up (my calf is touchy, my right knee hurts, and my right hamstring gets tight).  But it will be fun to explore some of the neighborhoods and trails of Park City -- Utah's French Riviera.