Last year I was stupid enough to try and run a half marathon with no training. Yes, that’s right, NO training, not even a little 5km run within weeks of the big event. Amazingly, I managed to run all the way till 17km, and it was only then that my body gave up and I had to walk the rest. The worst part was the recovery though. I literally couldn’t move the next day, and it took me a good ten minutes to simply get out of bed.
This year I decided to do it all again, but with the difference being that I was going to train properly. I’m a very stubborn person, and when I set my mind to a goal, I give it 110%. This meant that for 12 weeks leading up to the race, I was training 6 days a week, in the morning before I went to work. It sounds crazy, but it very quickly became a habit, and on the few occasions where I skipped a morning run because I was sick, I really missed it. I never thought I’d become one of those people that were addicted to exercise, but by some strange phenomenon I think I have.
Anyway, all the hard work did pay off. I ran my half marathon last week, and I ran it comfortably. For me it was not about the time (which was nothing spectacular), but it was about finishing the race, finishing it well and enjoying it. There were so many things along the 21.1km run that really put a smile on my face. To the parkrun volunteer standing on St Kilda Rd yelling out words on encouragement, thankyou. Parkrun has become an integral part of my Saturday mornings, and everything associated with it makes me smile, so it was heartening to see a parkrun fluoro vest whilst I was trying to run four and a bit parkruns.
To the band that was singing Prince’s Raspberry Beret as we ran onto Albert Park Lake, thankyou. That song is one of my favourites, and despite huffing and puffing somewhat, I still managed to sing a few lines to myself as I was running.
To Melissa, who was standing on St Kilda Rd as I came back up from Fitzroy St, thankyou. It was so exciting so see you standing on the median strip, cheering everyone on, and hearing a ‘GO MONICA!!’ as I ran past! It certainly put a spring in my step, and a noticeable increase in my pace which can my seen on my Garmin stats.
But I don’t think anything excited me more than being able to run onto the MCG. I was so glad that I had something left in the tank because I absolutely ran my heart out as I entered Melbourne’s great sporting cauldron. I sprinted past people, I soaked in the atmosphere, and as an Indian, all I could think about was the fact that I was competing on the same turf that Sachin Tendulkar had competed on. It was just a little bit special.
Of course, once the half marathon was over, my stomach demanded some attention and I was desperate for food. I came home, devoured a massive bowl of risotto, ate half a pizza, and yet I was still starving. Greasy, salty foods are what I always crave after a run, so I decided that I could only be sated if I could get my hands on a burger and chips. I wanted somewhere reasonably local, because I really was too tired to trek anywhere too far, but I wanted something good. In recent weeks my Instagram feed has been full of burgers from YOMG in Glen Waverley, so this is where we decided to go.
7pm in Glen Waverley and the place was pumping. It still amuses me to think that Glen Waverley is now a place where people come to hang out, and you have to struggle to find parking! When I was at high school, it was just another suburb, nothing special, and you definitely wouldn't plan a big night out there. How times change!
There was a line at YOMG and there was someone at the front writing names down on a waiting list. We were told there would be a ten minute wait for a table, and that if we wanted we could order right then and there, and by the time our food was ready, there would probably we a table ready too. This sounded like a good plan to us.
The menu is simple. YOMG were originally focused on frozen yogurt (hence the name), but the Glen Waverley branch has broadened its offerings to include burgers, fries and milkshakes. There are also chicken wings but this was of no interest to me! There were two vegetarian burgers on the menu, the Hipster and the Mr. Potato Head. The Hipster was a mushroom burger, and I had been having a lot of mushroom burgers recently, so I opted for Mr. Potato Head. The other half went for one of the specials, which was a chicken burger with Southern fried chicken. We also chose some loaded fries, namely the Fetta Fetish. After all, the only way to improve deep fried potato is to serve it with cheese. The other half also decided that running 21.1k deserved a reward in the form of a milkshake so upon recommendation from one of the staff he ordered a salted peanut butter caramel milkshake. It sounded so indulgent!
As promised, our table was ready in about ten minutes, and almost as soon as we sat down, our food was ready too. The burgers and fries are served in cardboard containers on a tray which makes for excellent food porn photography. You only have to follow the #YoMyGoodness hashtag on Instagram to see how much fun people are having!
After our first bite, it was clear that YOMG knew their burgers. They were exactly what we wanted in a burger. This was no burger trying to disguise itself as healthy. These burgers weren’t hiding the fact that they were oily and fatty, but they were also not skimping on taste and flavour either. The Mr. Potato Head burger was definitely the right choice. To the person who thought of substituting a vegetable patty for a couple of potato cakes, you should be awarded a medal of some sort. It was genius. Add some cheese, some slaw, pickles, mayo, sauce and a fried egg, this burger was a heaven of sorts. It was exactly what my body was craving and I was a happy diner.
The other half was also very content with his burger. I don’t even remember exactly what was in it, but I know there was fried chicken and bacon. Apparently these ingredients are the key to a man’s heart.
I had high hopes for the loaded fries. There was a big container of chips, generously topped with fetta, dukkha, oregano, spring onion and a squeeze of lemon. It sounded amazing, but unfortunately I think it was a little too much. Loaded fries run the risk of becoming soggy too quickly, and this was the case here. It was also extremely heavy, and so we struggled to finish it. I think if would want fetta on your fries, Jimmy Grants does a better version. It is much more restrained, but it means that nothing gets soggy, and the subtle hint of fetta is more than sufficient.
The milkshake however was delicious. Sweet, with the hint of saltiness to bring out the flavour, which was truly indulgent. I am not a big peanut butter fan, but this was good.
When we finished our meal and left, there was still a queue of people waiting to order and get a seat. This was indicative of how good YOMG is. It’s not the healthiest meal, but that is the least of my concerns when I’ve just run a half marathon! It is however super yummy, and a brilliant option when you want a cheat meal.
This year I decided to do it all again, but with the difference being that I was going to train properly. I’m a very stubborn person, and when I set my mind to a goal, I give it 110%. This meant that for 12 weeks leading up to the race, I was training 6 days a week, in the morning before I went to work. It sounds crazy, but it very quickly became a habit, and on the few occasions where I skipped a morning run because I was sick, I really missed it. I never thought I’d become one of those people that were addicted to exercise, but by some strange phenomenon I think I have.
Anyway, all the hard work did pay off. I ran my half marathon last week, and I ran it comfortably. For me it was not about the time (which was nothing spectacular), but it was about finishing the race, finishing it well and enjoying it. There were so many things along the 21.1km run that really put a smile on my face. To the parkrun volunteer standing on St Kilda Rd yelling out words on encouragement, thankyou. Parkrun has become an integral part of my Saturday mornings, and everything associated with it makes me smile, so it was heartening to see a parkrun fluoro vest whilst I was trying to run four and a bit parkruns.
To the band that was singing Prince’s Raspberry Beret as we ran onto Albert Park Lake, thankyou. That song is one of my favourites, and despite huffing and puffing somewhat, I still managed to sing a few lines to myself as I was running.
To Melissa, who was standing on St Kilda Rd as I came back up from Fitzroy St, thankyou. It was so exciting so see you standing on the median strip, cheering everyone on, and hearing a ‘GO MONICA!!’ as I ran past! It certainly put a spring in my step, and a noticeable increase in my pace which can my seen on my Garmin stats.
But I don’t think anything excited me more than being able to run onto the MCG. I was so glad that I had something left in the tank because I absolutely ran my heart out as I entered Melbourne’s great sporting cauldron. I sprinted past people, I soaked in the atmosphere, and as an Indian, all I could think about was the fact that I was competing on the same turf that Sachin Tendulkar had competed on. It was just a little bit special.
Of course, once the half marathon was over, my stomach demanded some attention and I was desperate for food. I came home, devoured a massive bowl of risotto, ate half a pizza, and yet I was still starving. Greasy, salty foods are what I always crave after a run, so I decided that I could only be sated if I could get my hands on a burger and chips. I wanted somewhere reasonably local, because I really was too tired to trek anywhere too far, but I wanted something good. In recent weeks my Instagram feed has been full of burgers from YOMG in Glen Waverley, so this is where we decided to go.
7pm in Glen Waverley and the place was pumping. It still amuses me to think that Glen Waverley is now a place where people come to hang out, and you have to struggle to find parking! When I was at high school, it was just another suburb, nothing special, and you definitely wouldn't plan a big night out there. How times change!
There was a line at YOMG and there was someone at the front writing names down on a waiting list. We were told there would be a ten minute wait for a table, and that if we wanted we could order right then and there, and by the time our food was ready, there would probably we a table ready too. This sounded like a good plan to us.
The menu is simple. YOMG were originally focused on frozen yogurt (hence the name), but the Glen Waverley branch has broadened its offerings to include burgers, fries and milkshakes. There are also chicken wings but this was of no interest to me! There were two vegetarian burgers on the menu, the Hipster and the Mr. Potato Head. The Hipster was a mushroom burger, and I had been having a lot of mushroom burgers recently, so I opted for Mr. Potato Head. The other half went for one of the specials, which was a chicken burger with Southern fried chicken. We also chose some loaded fries, namely the Fetta Fetish. After all, the only way to improve deep fried potato is to serve it with cheese. The other half also decided that running 21.1k deserved a reward in the form of a milkshake so upon recommendation from one of the staff he ordered a salted peanut butter caramel milkshake. It sounded so indulgent!
As promised, our table was ready in about ten minutes, and almost as soon as we sat down, our food was ready too. The burgers and fries are served in cardboard containers on a tray which makes for excellent food porn photography. You only have to follow the #YoMyGoodness hashtag on Instagram to see how much fun people are having!
After our first bite, it was clear that YOMG knew their burgers. They were exactly what we wanted in a burger. This was no burger trying to disguise itself as healthy. These burgers weren’t hiding the fact that they were oily and fatty, but they were also not skimping on taste and flavour either. The Mr. Potato Head burger was definitely the right choice. To the person who thought of substituting a vegetable patty for a couple of potato cakes, you should be awarded a medal of some sort. It was genius. Add some cheese, some slaw, pickles, mayo, sauce and a fried egg, this burger was a heaven of sorts. It was exactly what my body was craving and I was a happy diner.
The other half was also very content with his burger. I don’t even remember exactly what was in it, but I know there was fried chicken and bacon. Apparently these ingredients are the key to a man’s heart.
I had high hopes for the loaded fries. There was a big container of chips, generously topped with fetta, dukkha, oregano, spring onion and a squeeze of lemon. It sounded amazing, but unfortunately I think it was a little too much. Loaded fries run the risk of becoming soggy too quickly, and this was the case here. It was also extremely heavy, and so we struggled to finish it. I think if would want fetta on your fries, Jimmy Grants does a better version. It is much more restrained, but it means that nothing gets soggy, and the subtle hint of fetta is more than sufficient.
The milkshake however was delicious. Sweet, with the hint of saltiness to bring out the flavour, which was truly indulgent. I am not a big peanut butter fan, but this was good.
When we finished our meal and left, there was still a queue of people waiting to order and get a seat. This was indicative of how good YOMG is. It’s not the healthiest meal, but that is the least of my concerns when I’ve just run a half marathon! It is however super yummy, and a brilliant option when you want a cheat meal.
