Training

The fall training started last week. My gimpy left calf finally was feeling normal. Then, I ran a 10k race all-out on Monday. The next day, I couldn't jog three steps, much less the 7 miles for which I was scheduled. I took a day off, which meant running 7-7-7-11 for the rest of the week, after which I can rest two days in a row. I have my third 7 tomorrow, and I took two Alieve just now. My legs are so sore. Walking the dog is an exercise in creative hobbling. Four-thirty comes early, but like a robot I get up and do my miles. Running is a funny business: The more I have going on with work, home, etc., the more driven I become.

I'm excited that others around me seem to be getting the running bug. My cousins are running the Country Music Marathon in 2010, and I'm rooting for them! Running is something I pushed myself to do to prove something to myself, but it seems to fit into my life quite nicely. Physically, I'm not a natural by any means, but my dual-natured temperament is predisposed to crave self-punishment and discipline. Asceticism by day, epicureanism by night.

For beginners, my advice is this: Do only what you can. There are no rules. Walk. Jog. The important thing is that you got out there and put in the miles or time -- that's more than 90% of the population can say on any given day. Do it consistently, and you will get better. Time and persistence are all it takes. Fall is a great time to get into the sport. It's hard NOT to run when the leaves are turning and the mornings are crisp and cool.

Fall 2009 Playlist

Here's to the fall training season! Something to get me out of bed for a long run tomorrow morning, and for many mornings to come:

Turn Me Loose-Loverboy
Don't Think Twice, It's All Right-Bob Dylan
Walk This Way (With Run-D.M.C.)-Aerosmith
(Wish I Could Fly Like) Superman-The Kinks
Side of a Bullet-Nickelback
Guerrilla Radio-Rage Against the Machine
I Fought the Law-Green Day
Hey Ya!-OutKas
Viva la Vida-Coldplay
Feel Good Inc.-Gorillaz
Heartbreaker-Pat Benatar
Timebomb-Beck
Somebody Told Me-The Killers
Animals-Nickelback
Bawitdaba (Live)-Kid Rock
Click Click Boom-Saliva
Nothin' But a Good Time-Poison
It's Tricky-Run-DMC
Working for the Weekend-Loverboy

Nagging stuff

Seven miles yesterday, eight today, five tomorrow. I am a disciplined runner (when it comes to logging the miles, anyway), which also means I am a disciplined ignorer of physical pain. The only thing that keeps me off the roads on a scheduled day is weather, and sometimes even seemingly prohibitive conditions are no match for the voice in my head.

Lately, I've been plagued with a few aches, nothing at all to keep me off the roads, but just enough to remind me I'm not invinceable. I try not to think about it, but since I've had the same issues since the end of May, I decided to take stock of the situation. This is where keeping a detailed training log comes in handy.

Not that I keep anything of the sort. I sorta remember, though. In Italy, while walking miles and miles every day and running in the morning besides, I noticed pain in my foot. That's in the foot itself, not the ankle or Achilles tendon. My foot stopped hurting when we returned the first week of June, but it was replaced with a soreness in my knee that I only noticed when moving it laterally (e.g., when getting out of bed, getting out of the car, etc.). This lasted until last week. Now, I have a sore spot at the top of my thigh where it joins with my hipbone. Occasionally, I'll feel lower back pain on that side, too.

I preferred the foot pain.

None of this is especially noticable during my runs, thankfully. It also doesn't ever seem to get worse. I haven't noticed changing how I run to compensate for any of these issues, but I guess it's possible I'm favoring that side.

I guess the obvious solution is to buy new shoes! It's been over 4 months, after all.

Chocolate Pudding Pie

I’ve never really made anything like this before, leaving the chocolate pie thing to my extremely capable mother-in-law. The way my husband fawned over a fudge pie on the Fourth, though, tickled my competitive nerve. With what could I trump it? A peanut butter crust! Sadly, I went with a rummy pudding filling that doesn’t have the richness of the fudge pie. Still, it’s pie, and no one complains about that.

Crust (adapted from Healthy Indulgences Blog)

1/4 c creamy peanut butter
2 tbsp butter
1 egg, beaten
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 tbsp honey
1 c almond flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 325.

Melt peanut butter with butter in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Stir in vanilla, egg, and honey. Add almond flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir to form a sticky dough. Add more almond flour by the tablespoon if necessary to hold it together. Press up the sides of a pie plate, greased and lined with a circle of parchment paper. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until slightly brown around the edges.

Filling (adapted from Bon Appétit)

1/3 c sugar
1/3 c cocoa powder
2 tbsp cornstarch
1/8 tsp salt
1 3/4 c milk, divided
1/4 c heavy whipping cream
4 oz bittersweet chocolate (60% cacao), finely chopped
1 tbsp dark rum
1 tsp vanilla

Whisk sugar, cocoa, cornstarch, and salt heavy medium saucepan. Gradually add 1/3 cup milk, whisking until smooth paste forms. Whisk in remaining milk, then 1/4 cup cream. Using flat-bottom wooden spoon or heatproof spatula, stir mixture constantly over medium heat, scraping bottom and sides of pan until pudding thickens and begins to bubble at edges, about 5 minutes (don't burn the pudding!). Add chocolate; stir until mixture is smooth. Remove from heat; stir in rum and vanilla. Pour hot pudding into crust and spread evenly. Cool 1 hour at room temperature. Cover and chill for several hours.

I really like the taste of the crust, but it’s an absolute bear to work with. I imagine there are easier recipes that are not gluten-free. That’s just where my internet wanderings took me, and I was eager to use my almond flour again. The almond flour did impart noticeable flavor and texture.

I'm already ready to try this again. There's a great-looking recipe in this month's Gourmet... Or I could try a chocolate wafer crumb crust...

Coconut Cherry Almond Bars

Twelve servings of goodness.

I’ve been alternating desserts around here lately, my taste with my husband’s. That means one week I’ll make a fruit dessert, and the next week I’ll make something chocolaty. We’re pretty simple folk.

I rearranged my cupboard and found some ingredients hanging out in nooks and crannies. Shredded coconut, almond flour, chocolate pieces… Hm… That, and the cherries were on sale at Publix again. Something chocolate, and cherry, and almond? I’m in! A recipe from 101 Cookbooks was just what I had in mind, modified and embellished to suit what I had on hand. I subbed almond flour for AP, sweetened coconut in a bag for the unsweetened stuff. I reduced the sugar by 1/2 cup. I added sliced almonds and chocolate pieces.

I pitted the cherries with an actual pitter (thanks, James!) and tore each cherry apart with my bare hands as I went. It was satisfying work, if a little gory. Meditative.

Cherry guts.

Ahem, moving on. I love layered bar desserts like this. In this case, especially, all your major dessert categories are taken care of. Cake. Chocolate. Fruit. Nuts. Coconut.

No special reason for the ice wine, acquired on our trip through Niagara wine country, other than that we’d had it for nearly two years and had been promising that we’d drink it for six months. It turns out it was just the thing, in a tiny stemmed glass, super-cold. Uniquely sweet, like port for kids.

Potatoes Au Brat'n

Before adding the top layer of potatoes

My husband is a wonder. When we were first married, he was mighty dissatisfied with the meals turned out at Casa di Diana, and rightly so. I had no concept of portion size and was used to spare, light suppers consisting mainly of Green Giant microwave vegetables like broccoli and cheese, or cauliflower and cheese. When I would try to come up with something new, he would ask by way of offering his opinion, "Did you use a recipe for this?" I got the message and started over, mastering the basics and working my way up to more creative enterprises. Always, I would make sure the combination of flavors was one that had been tried before, even if in a different form.

Gradually, as my cooking improved, his tastes expanded. He began suggesting dishes of his own, most of which I dismissed as being too heavy or just plain nasty-sounding (ground beef does NOT belong in my mashed potatoes). This time, I decided to give in to his suggestion. The result was marvelous. A little heavy, yes, but simple so as not to overwhelm: A pound and a half of potatoes layered with two leftover grilled, sliced beef bratwurst and smothered in a cheese sauce (any will do - try one here) seasoned with a touch of salt and red pepper flakes, topped with breadcrumbs and baked for about 90 minutes at 375. Let it settle and thicken for 15-30 minutes, then slice and serve with a salad on the side. I imagine those with medium to small appetites might call this six servings, but in our house, we'll get four.

The name? He came up with that, too. Endearing, if not groundbreaking.

Love me some June running

It's been pretty toasty around here lately. I'm debating whether it's useful to know the temperature and humidity level before I go out in the morning. If I'm going to run anyway, do I need to know that it's already nearly 80 degrees (at FIVE A.M.) with a dew point not far behind? Only once have I wimped out. Last Friday, hoping to put in 10, I ran about 6.5 before succumbing. I showered, breakfasted, and drove to the gym. Four boring treadmiles later, I decided this Tennessee gal needs to suck it up.

Oh, it was so wonderful to run in Florence and Rome. Well, maybe not Florence. Running by the Arno is romantic in theory (if there is any romance to be had between yourself and the pavement), but in practice the still air, pigeon poop, and gnats up the nose and in the mouth make it a little tedious. Rome, with the Tiber much further below street level, feels more open and breezier. Plus, I saw other joggers, which is always a great comfort. I even saw a woman once. As it happens, there is a triangular 5.5-mile route up the river from the Circus Maximus past the Vatican to the Piazza del Populo and down the Via del Corso (partially closed to traffic, woot!) back to the hotel by the Colosseum.

Fast forward to this morning: Ten miles is the plan. Five miles out, five back. Cutting it short is not an option. I get to the turnaround point and feel great! There's a breeze, there's cloudcover, and my legs feel good. I run another half-mile out, then head back, stretching out to run the last three miles faster than the first three. Yippee!

I'll be ready to start training for a fall half marathon in a couple of weeks. The chosen venue? After the craziness of the Country Music 1/2, I've opted for a smaller venue. It will be my first race in my home town (I was no runner when I left!). I'm running in the Clarksville Half Marathon.