Ugly Mudder LBRR

Depending on how you look at it, the Ugly Mudder is either the first race of the season, or an off-season race. Either way, it was my first time racing since the Philly Marathon Half-Marathon in November. And it went ok. Don't know that I enjoyed myself as much as I should have, although I finished around where I expected to. It's not a great fit for me, though. It's a hard race, and that's part of it – but there are some harder races that I like more.

In part, I find the 11 am ('ish') start time a challenge. When do you eat? But much of it goes back to the fundamental issue I have with racing: I'm a better trail runner than road runner; I'm a natural negative splitter; and trail running favors positive splitting. And Ugly Mudder really favors positive splitting. It's a huge race – 700 people? Maybe 800? On some pretty narrow trails. So even more than most, it's imperative to start out at least ok and get position. But I overdid it, so that I was pretty beat 15 minutes in, knowing that I had around 45 to go. And it's not a very forgiving race. It's some of the same trails as Half-Wit (albeit in the opposite direction), but I'd say that mile-for-mile it's a harder race. Similar hilliness, but trickier footing. And while there are fewer sustained climbs, there are more short but ridiculously steep, no-way-you-could-run-that climbs. So when you're realizing, ¼ of the way in, that you're kinda spent, there's not a lot of opportunities to get that energy back.

Unlike a lot of other runners, I did manage to stay on my feet. Even more surprising, I managed to stay on course – which many other runners didn't. Someone – again! - had stolen some of the trail directions, causing mass chaos. I was among the least affected, although among those most affected, some had to run extra, others less. So I suspect that I wound up around where I would have – with some who should be behind me ahead, and some who should be ahead, behind.

My goal had been top 35, and I wound up in the high-20s, so, yes, goal achieved. One guy I'd almost caught a few times 2 years ago, then couldn't get close to last year, finished right in front of me. I mean right - I was sprinting at the finish line and he didn't beat me by a full foot. I'd consider this a significant accomplishment, if I didn't know that he'd been part of the group that ran extra.

So that's where things stand now. I've had a good off-season, and this was a good benchmark, especially since I won't get to run Tyler. And who knows what's next? Apparently there's less sleep in my future, and that can't help things much. But then, maybe it can – sacrifice a few minutes, chill out some, and enjoy myself more. We'll see.

Running these days (she says) - the good, bad & ugly of pregnant running

Yes, I am still running. Snow, ice, cold and all. I know I am lucky.

That hip pain I last wrote about is gone thankfully. It turned out to be the SI joint and is common among pregnant women, not just runners. I biked inside for a week and then cautiously returned to running, starting with painful 2-mile shuffles and working my way back to 5 miles of comfortable jogging. I always feel good at the end of a run.

Running is supposed to help ease pregnancy and childbirth. (So far, check.) But based on my blog stalking, I’m running at the upper range among pregnant runners at this stage of the game. So I don’t know if I should run more. No one knows, it depends on the person. I’m just supposed to listen to the body.  So there, if you’re wondering what pregnant running feels like, it feels like uncertainty, maybe guilt. Every run can be my last run, every mile can help or hurt for two. This feeling trumps all others, which also includes loneliness (I’m too slow to run with people these days) and jealousy (Everyone gets to run more than me). This is the ugly.

The bad thing about running while pregnant is that I have to diligently empty the bladder and intestines before every run or else I experience great pain. Actually, even if I do, it still feels like I have to pee. I just know it’s a bluff. My bladder is small these days, so if I leave a little in there, every step I take would feel like someone is punching it. Imagine having your full bladder punched 100 some times per minute, and you’ve got the experience of me running. I also have no idea where my intestines are anymore, but they will always make themselves known if I run having underpooped. In fact, the entire abdomen would hurt so much that I have to immediately stop running.  

That’s it, though. Physically, running with almost 20 extra pounds doesn’t feel nearly as hard as walking with a 10-pound dumbbell. My belly sticking out doesn’t affect my balance as much as I thought. I am just slower, about 2 minutes per mile slower than before, and I’ve cut back by 50-60% in distance.

What’s cool about pregnant running is that when I’m out running, sometimes I do feel like I’m running with the little guy, like the two of us are on a little adventure. Like last week, I took him to the trails to experience the serenity and beauty of the Wissahickon and the fun (and dare) of snow running. What’s good about running these days is that I can just do it. It’s simple. Once I’m out, I’m so free. Once the kid comes out though, it will actually be harder to run together, and it’ll be harder to just get out the door at a moment’s notice. That’s why I’m savoring these last weeks of freedom and trying to run for as long as I can.

Running these days

We've been dominating the screwshoes hashtag on Twitter. Helen, Leo, myself – we've got pretty much all the entries. Turns out it isn't a big trender.

I'm the only one that's actually been using them. So simple, yet so effective: screw a bunch of screws into the bottom of your shoes, and there you have it: screwshoes. Run on ice, run in slush and snow. As long as you don't sink in too much, you're good to go.

Because these days, running means running in snow, running on ice, running through slush. It's a hassle, and it's harder. But overall, that trade-off is worth it. It's stunningly beautiful. Especially in the sun, with the bright snow. Forbidden Drive and most of the Wissahickon's trails are runnable. The trails aren't easy running – or, at least, they aren't fast. They're probably less technical than they normally are though.

The snow – even the packed snow – means a softer run, too. This morning was my long run; probably ran 15-16 miles, after running 9 yesterday. That makes this a big weekend for me, but I don't feel beat-up. Tired, yes, but not beat up. This despite the shoes I'm wearing, my 'screw balances,' an old pair of new balances with 400+ miles in them that never had much cushioning to begin with.

There's a lot to like about snow running.

But I miss running with Helen.

I got into this sport with Helen – she's my #1 running partner, and always will be. I'm hoping that somewhere down the line, the little guy she's been carrying around in her tummy is going to become #1a. But right now, it's an in-between period. Helen's doing a good job of running through pregnancy, especially now that her hip's better, so we still run some together. But we can't log the miles together that I'm used to, that she's used to. I know that, as far as pregnancy issues goes, this is small, and that dads-to-be aren't supposed to whine. But I'm looking forward to the day when we can hand the kid off to his grandparents and disappear into the woods together for a few hours. I hope that there's snow then, too.

Last Night's Dinner

Last night was the 4th (and possibly final!) Annual New Year's Eve Dinner.
We brought it back to New Year's this year, as some people had problems with the mid-week/work-week dinner last year.
Four dinners and, by my count, four successful dinners! A relief as I didn't feel like we had as many new dishes this year; we've been a bit less creative, I think, in our normal dinner choices. But we've also eaten a lot of new things that just don't work as well in the large dinner party setting (pizzas, mostly, but other stuff as well, like the panisses I made a few weeks ago that were good, but require a lot of last-minute attention). With 18 people showing up, that wasn't an option. Lamb shoulder really is hard to beat for these parties.

Anyway: last night's menu:

Vin chaud (aka 'mulled wine')
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Carrot-leek Soup
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Arroz con pollo with olives and preserved lemons
Lamb tagine with dates and raisins
Roasted butternut squash
Chick peas 'maison'
No-knead bread
Soft Pretzels
Green salad with apples and pine nuts
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Chocolate-pecan pie
Pear almond tart
Brownies
Ice creams: vanilla, cinnamon, chestnut

I did want to highlight seasonal stuff this time, more than usual. In the past, I've approached this as a time of excess, of doing things that aren't everyday – so, buying strawberries in December, spending more for fancier products, and lots and lots of meat were all part of the fun. Because of that approach, I paid less attention to local/seasonal stuff than I do in our normal meals. But this time, it just seemed to all have nice fall/winter colors: browns, oranges, instead of pinks and bright reds. Large piles of meat, still, but along with squash (a first, I think) and lots of bread.

The carrot-leek soup is basic, but very good.
Basic here doesn't mean 'easy' because making it involves cleaning leeks, which is a huge hassle.

And Helen pointed out that even though the soup was good, it probably wasn't worth the complications. I think she's right. As the dinner has evolved, it's moved from more structured to less (witness the disappearance of the palate cleanser course). Probably be best to just have the soup out for people who want it...

Arroz con Pollo

The only real weakness was the arroz con pollo. I'd made it before, and liked it – it's a Mark Bittman recipe that I'd jazzed up by adding turmeric, lemons, and olives, giving it a Moroccan flair. I forgot the turmeric this time, though. I'd also tripled the broth and rice in the recipe (with 18 guests, hard not to!). I figured that once the broth reached a boil rice cooking time would be the same, but that turned out not to be the case. Either that, or problems caused by having my ginormous dutch oven off-center on one tiny little burner. So, tasty, but with some crunchy rice and not much color.

The rest went great. People liked the squash, despite it being squash, which is, well, squash. The chick peas got eaten up, too. It's a standard dish here, probably close to weekly – chick peas sauteed with cumin seeds, chipotles, tomatoes, raisins, and almonds, then simmered in beer for a bit. We don't actually call it chick peas maison, but we don't have a name for it, so there it is.
The lamb is always a big hit. I even served it in a real tagine this time.

Roasted Butternut Squash

Chick Peas

Lamb Tagine

The biggest hit, though, was probably the pretzels. People really like home made pretzels. I think we made around 30, and they were gone by morning.
They're a great dinner party food, it turns out – even better if you've got kids coming who want to help make them.

Pecan Chocolate Pie

Brownies

Pear Almond Tart

Almond Biscotti

Due to some lingering and major hip pain, I've been doing very little running the last week. This seems a bit different from my usual hamstring issues which manifest in the knees and hips. This is new and causes me to limp even when walking. Needless to say, this is frustrating. Yesterday, I went out for a two hour, six mile walk and still was mopey when I returned. 

Oh, but my whining isn't the reason you decided to read this post, is it?  So, back to biscotti. For the cookie exchange at work, I decided to make 80 some almond biscotti. While this isn't the tastiest batch I've made, these are the most intact, professional looking ones. What really helped this time is (1) having a spray bottle to soften the crust before cutting and (2) using sliced almonds instead of whole nuts.  I wish they come out browner, but these are definitely crunchy enough.

They're not hard to make, but it does help to have a stand mixer or strong forearms (I think you know which one I have) and to give yourself at least two hours. Below is the recipe, which I adapted from King Arthur Flour's recipes for Almond-Lemon Biscotti and Barista Biscotti Bites. As usual, I doubled the salt. If you like things on the sweet side, you might want to use more sugar or add a glaze.

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Almond Biscotti

(Recipe adapted from King Arthur Flour’s various biscotti recipes)

6 tablespoons (3 ounces) butter
2/3 cup (4 3/4 ounces) sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 ¼ teaspoons almond extract
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
2 large eggs
2 cups (8 1/2 ounces) all-purpose flour

1 cup sliced toasted almonds

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease (or line with parchment) one large (about 18" x 13") baking sheet.

In a medium-sized bowl, beat the butter, sugar, salt, almond extract, and baking powder until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Beat in the eggs; the batter may look slightly curdled. At low speed of your mixer, add the flour and almonds, stirring until smooth; the dough will be sticky.

Divide the dough in half, plopping each half onto the prepared baking sheet. Using your wet fingers, shape each piece into a rough log about 12" long, 2" wide, and about ¾" thick. Straighten the log, and smooth its top and sides.

Bake the dough for 25 minutes. Remove it from the oven, and allow it to cool on the pan anywhere from 10 to 25 minutes. Using a spray bottle filled with room-temperature water, lightly but thoroughly spritz the logs, making sure to cover the sides as well as the top. Softening the crust just this little bit will make slicing the biscotti much easier.

Reduce the oven temperature to 325°F. Wait another 5 minutes, then use a serrated knife to cut the log crosswise into ½" to ¾" slices. 

Set the biscotti on edge on the prepared baking sheet. Return the biscotti to the oven, and bake them for 30 minutes, till they feel very dry. They’ll still feel a tiny bit moist in the very center, if you break off a piece; but they’ll continue to dry out as they cool. Remove the biscotti from the oven, and transfer them to a rack to cool.