Mudder May I Take a POUNDing?

So, a couple Saturdays ago I participated in the Tough Mudder. It was basically an 11 mile long obstacle course, with obstacles pulled directly from a boot camp set up in the 80s by Dr. Kavorkian. The weather was normal for April, meaning that it was cold and rainy. And the rain made the already muddy course even muddier.

So it went like this:

1. Run through mud
2. Jump over 15 five-foot walls
3. Run through mud
4. Wade through waist deep ice water
5. Run through mud
6. Swim through mud
7. Run through mud
8. Run up a hill, down a hill, through a lake, up a hill, down a hill, through a river, up a hill, down a hill
9. Jump off a 25 foot high platform into a freezing cold lake
10. Run through mud
11. Run through a field that is on fire
12. Run through mud
13. Etc.
14. Etc.
15. Etc.

 Do you get the idea?

There were a total of 24 obstacles spread throughout the 11 miles. They don’t call it tough just for fun. I think that there were three separate ways in which it was challenging. The first, and probably easiest to prep for, was that it was long; it tested one’s endurance. The second was that it required bursts of strength to get over the obstacles.

The third was that it was mentally challenging. I have to admit, I was a little freaked out waiting my turn to jump off the high dive into that lake. The volunteer said, “One – Two – Three” and I took a step forward, off the platform. As I was falling I realized that taking that step wasn’t actually what I had wanted to do. I’m glad that I didn’t take the time to think about it. Several of the obstacles didn’t require any particular feat of strength or endurance, but just made me decide whether I was going to give up or do something that was uncomfortable.

 

I’m happy to report that I survived, with the help of some great teammates (and some helpful strangers), although my legs are a little worse for the wear. Going back to work most people thought I was crazy, and I probably am. I like the sense of accomplishment that I get from stretching the limits of what I think I can do, whether it’s a marathon or a Tough Mudder, and the lessons I learn about myself.

I just hope I can talk someone into doing it with me next year.

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Since I  really took a pounding I thought I'd share the recipe for an awesome pound cake we made a few weeks ago. (Thanks to my wife for the juvenile word play). It's full of butter and that can only mean one thing: it's from Paula Dean.

Mama's Pound Cake

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter, plus more for pan
• 1/2 cup vegetable shortening
• 3 cups sugar
• 5 eggs
• 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pan
• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

With a mixer, cream butter and shortening together. Add sugar, a little at a time. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating after each addition. Stir dry ingredients together in a bowl and add to mixer alternately with milk, starting with the flour and ending with the flour. Mix in vanilla. Pour into a greased and floured tube pan and bake for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.

Thanks Paula!

You Know You're a Runner If...

You know you're a runner if...

-You collect running shoes like a dictator's wife collects stilettos
-You've ever put Band-Aids on your nipples
-You know what a "Fartlek" is
-Your shoes have more miles on them than your car does
-You don't think black toenails are that big of a deal
-Safety pins are scattered all over your house
-You know exactly how far it is to the end of your street
-You have ever taken a family vacation just so you could run a race
-You have a drawer full of shirts that you don't know what to do with
-You've lost track of how many people have asked you how far a marathon is
-You haven't had a free Saturday morning for you can't remember how long
-You count Vaseline as one of your closest friends
-Taking an ice bath is a regular occurrence
-You think energy gel doesn't taste that gross anymore
-You were to collapse midrun, you'd like the paramedics to pause your stopwatch

Anyone have any others?

Molasses Me

I've never been a huge fan of resolutions, probably because they don't keep and start to smell bad after a couple of weeks. And then they attract annoying little fruit flies that buzz around whispering disparaging remarks in my ear.

So I'm not really making resolutions. I'm just going to continue doing what I've been doing, mainly following training programs in order to successfully complete a few races and eat healthy so that I can occasionally binge and sugar.

This year is a little different, however, because I'm trying a few different types of races than what I've done in the past. In April I'll be attempting the Tough Mudder (which I've already written about) and in September I have decided to do a half ironman triathlon.

A regular ironman triathlon consists of a 2.4 mile swim, followed immediately by a 112 mile bike ride, followed immediately by a full marathon. So a half-ironman is half that. Go figure. 1.2 swim, 56 mile bike, 13.1 run.

Soapbox time. For a large portion of the population running 13.1 miles is a serious accomplishment. Can't they call it something other than half of something else? It just seems like calling it a half-marathon is implying that you aren't tough enough to go the whole way. Same goes for a half-ironman. I guess I'll only be half a man. Err, Ironman. Soapbox done.

So I've started to train on all three disciples of the triathlon, doing each about three times a week, as well as doing a little lifting. I think I may have to take out a second mortgage to get all the new gear though.

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So my sort-of-resolutions should take me two steps forward in the healthy department, it's time to take that ever so scrumptious step back. This time the step back is an old family recipe that is a staple of the holidays. My great grandmother used to give a batch to my grandparents and their family for Christmas way back in the day. It may sound a little old fashioned but it is seriously addictive. There is a disclaimer though; I am not responsible for any lost fillings or other dental work.

Molasses Candy

2 cups sugar
2/3 cup molasses or sorgam
1/3 cup corn syrup
3/4 cup evaporated milk
1/4 cup milk
1 Tbs vinegar
2 heaping cups of whole almonds (other nuts will work too)
1 tsp baking soda
butter for pan

Combine sugar, molasses, corn syrup, evaporated milk, & milk. Heat until soft ball stage**, stir in vinegar. Cook until hard ball stage, add nuts. Heat until it boils again and add the baking soda. Stir until fluffy and pour out onto a buttered cookie sheet.

** You can cook it less so that it is softer and it is just as good. It's really just a matter of taste.

A Manly Stitch & Bread Pudding to Die For

I have been a predominantly morning runner for quite some time but I have been running at night lately. Last night I was reminded why. Right now I get off work a little after 4 pm and we have dinner shortly after I get home. By the time I run when the kids are in bed it has been a few hours since eating.

Last night, however, I ate a little later than normal and since we had a guest, I had a nice big bowl of key lime bar with ice cream. Obviously I didn't wait long enough before running because I got the worst stitch after a half mile or so. It wasn't just on a side. It was on both sides and everything in between. It felt like my insides had suddenly decided that they'd much rather be on the outside and they were trying to take the shortest route possible.

I kept thinking that if I just kept going eventually it would go away. It eventually did, at the 3.8 mile mark of my 4 mile run. I felt pretty manly running through such a beastly stitch. Manly or moronically stubborn. Take your pick.

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My wife loves bread pudding so we have tried a lot. This is hands down the best.

Caramel Bread Pudding

1 ½ cups sugar
4 eggs, beaten
1 ¼ cups heavy whipping cream
1 ½ cups milk
¼ lb melted butter
1 ¼ lbs white bread (2 loaves) cubed
½ cup caramel sauce (the caramel recipe found here is amazing in this recipe)
Non-stick cooking spray

For pudding: combine sugar, eggs, cream, milk, and butter in a bowl and mix together. Add the bread and fold it in. Put mixture in a 9 X 13 inch baking pan coated with nonstick spray. Pour the caramel sauce over the top and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Check, rotate, and bake up to 30 more minutes more until golden brown. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream and more caramel sauce.

Bread Pudding recipe from the Union Grill in Ogden, UT

Peanut Butter Brownies & Run Fast Until You Die

I’m gearing up for my final long tune-up run tomorrow morning. I’ll do about 8 miles, then on Monday I begin the real training program for the Martian Half Marathon.

I’ve run a few full and half marathons but I’m trying something a little different this time. Instead of just going out and plodding along for however many miles I’m supposed to do interval training. For those of you that aren’t nerds like me that read every issue of Runner’s World magazine from cover to cover, interval training is basically running short segments at various speeds, usually faster than you’d normally go, connected by recovery jogs, over and over and over again. The idea is that you build up the fast twitch muscles necessary to carry you to eternal glory or you turn into jello.

I have to admit I’m kind of excited to try something new. PR here I come!

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Speaking of fast, here’s a super fast and easy recipe that also looks impressive.

Peanut Butter Brownies

1 package brownie mix, mixed according to directions
½ cup creamy peanut butter
¼ cup powdered sugar

Pour brownie batter in your pan of choice. Mix peanut butter and powdered sugar in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave for about 30 seconds. The peanut butter should be fairly runny and pourable. If not, stir and microwave in short intervals. Pour the peanut butter mix in a back and forth pattern, taking care to space it so that there is just enough to go the length of the pan as shown in the diagram. Stick a toothpick or bamboo skewer straight down into the batter and move in a back and forth pattern perpendicular to the peanut butter, as shown in the red line in the diagram.

Then you just bake it according to the directions on the package. A tip for cutting them (and any other brownie): cut it with a plastic knife. It won't stick to the knife as much.

Sweet Potato Pie > Humble Pie

As I've mentioned several times before, I'm a really slow runner. However, at the end of a race I have a good kick that usually lets me blow by a few of the other slow runners. It gives me a great sense of accomplishment to bear down on someone (usually like an octogenarian with a walker) and pass them with mere yards to spare. It's something I pride myself on.

This used to happen a lot in high school when I was on the high school cross country team. I wasn't good enough to even be on the JV team so it was basically just for fun. There were a couple of races that I still remember because I was able to pass a couple of my usually faster teammates at the end. It was usually the only time I beat them all year but on that day I was the better man.

In a half marathon I ran last year I was cruising down the homestretch, with a grandpa in my cross-hairs when a girl blew by me on my left side. (I guess I'm letting a little sexism show, so I apologize to womanhood everywhere) There were probably two hundred women that had already finished before me, but in that moment they didn't matter. In an all out foot race with a teenage girl, I ate her dust.

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Technically this isn't sweet potato pie because there isn't a crust and it's supposed to be served alongside the rest of your feastly fare, but it's loaded with sugar and butter so I made the editorial decision that it belongs, with pride, among the dessert hall of fame that is this blog. (I was going to call it "My Yammy Vice" but someone once told me that word play is the lowest form of humor. Personally I think the lowest form is watching someone get hit the groin on AFV. It's hilarious!)

Heaton's Sweet Potato Pie

4 cups sweet potatoes or yams, cubed (white sweet potatoes are recommended but can be difficult to find)
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 tsp salt
4 Tbs butter
1/2 cup milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Boil sweet potatoes until tender and drain. Add rest of the ingredients and mash to your desired consistency. (I like it really smooth.) Pour in a 8X8 pan. Sprinkle evenly with topping. Bake at 325 degrees for 30 minutes.

Topping:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup flour
3 Tbs butter
1/2 chopped pecans

Mix sugar and flour. Cut in butter. Mix in pecans.

Courtesy of Analise Heaton

Make Time for Caramel Sauce

A year ago I had just signed up for the Bayshore Marathon that took place on Memorial Day Weekend. I knew it was going to be hard, not only because 26.2 miles is inherently hard, but because my schedule was so jammed packed that I was concerned that I would not have the time to train properly.

"Don't have time." That's an interesting phrase that is often said but isn't true in the context of how it is most often used. People usually say it to mean that there isn't enough time in a set period, a day or week for instance, to engage in a certain activity. Actually, we all have the same amount of time as everyone else (unless we're talking bigger, about mortality, when everyone's 'time' is variable and unknown). There are 24 hours in everyone's day and 7 days in everyone's week. So what we are actually saying is that of all the competing possible uses of our time, we are prioritizing that particular activity out. In other words, it's not as important enough to us as the other things we actually do.

When you start to look at your time that way it starts to get a little scary from a self-awareness standpoint. If you or I forego a noble activity, like volunteering at a homeless shelter, because we "don't have time", we are in essence admitting that we value everything else we do more than that noble activity, including, for example, watching mindless TV, surfing the internet, playing Angry Birds on your iPhone. staring blankly at walls, or reading this blog (the last is, of course, also a very noble activity).

Many of us would like to run but say we "don't have time". I am not saying that there is something wrong with you if it is not a high enough priority to actually get done. We all make choices. What I am saying is that there are significant benefits to how we are able to use the rest of our time if we do chose to run or exercise in some other way.

The first benefit is the statistic probability that we will live longer, and therefore have more time with which to work. The next is that many people feel that they are able to be more productive and healthy the rest of the time when regular exercise is part of the uses of our time. The third is, admittedly, a little vain, but we look better, fitter, and feel more self-confident, so that while we aren't getting more time, we enjoy the time we have a little more. In summary; more time, more productive time, more enjoyable time.

So back to last year's marathon. The training last year was particularly hard because I teach religious class every weekday morning at 6 am to high school kids. I also have kids with whom I enjoy spending time. So in order to "have time" to train I got up at 4:30 each morning to run. To get enough sleep I went to bed at around 8:30 each night. (I'd like to take this opportunity to thank my wife who spent a lot of lonely nights doing housework in order for me to reach my goal.) I can happily say that I completed the training and finished the marathon with a (rather slow) PR.

And now to the present. I still teach the class. I still have the same priorities competing for my time, but I find myself in a little bit of a funk with regards to running. Spending time with my wife has become more important, whether it's spent completing our family room renovation (which turned out great, by the way) or watching a show. So I stay up too late to be able to crawl out of bed early enough to run.

In a couple of weeks I will begin my training regimen for the Martian Half Marathon. When that happens running will climb a couple of notches up my priority list. In the meantime I have embraced the funk and am okay with running just a few times a week and view the scale-back as a valuable recovery period.

By the way, my friend and talented author, Rob Wells, wrote an insightful blog about this subject with regards to aspiring authors making time to write. You can find it here.

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Of course, consuming dessert should be on everyone's priority list. This caramel sauce goes with nearly everything.

Caramel Sauce

4 tablespoons unsalted butter
½ cup of tightly packed dark brown sugar
½ cup light corn syrup
¾ cup heavy whipping cream (not ultra-pasteurized)
½ Tbsp vanilla extract
1 tsp kosher salt

Before you begin, make sure you have everything ready to go - the cream and the brown sugar next to the pan, measured and waiting.

In a heavy bottomed stainless steel 2 quart saucepan, melt butter over low to medium heat. Just before butter is melted, add all dark brown sugar at once and stir with wooden spoon until sugar is uniformly wet. Add corn syrup. Stir infrequently until mixture goes from looking grainy to molten lava. Make sure to get into the corners of your pot, and watch closely to notice how the mixture changes. It will take about 3 to 5 minutes.

Right before you add the cream, the caramelizing brown sugar will begin to look and feel more like liquid and less like thick wet sand. Add all the cream at once and replace your spoon with a whisk. Lower heat a little and whisk cream into mixture. When liquid is uniform, turn heat back to medium and whisk every few minutes for a total of 10 minutes. Stir in half of the vanilla and half the salt.

After liquid has been boiling on the stove for its 10 minutes, turn heat off and let rest for a minute or two before transferring into a heatproof storage vessel. (I prefer a stainless steel or glass bowl.) Cool to room temperature. Add additional vanilla and salt to taste.

Chill butterscotch sauce in a non-reactive container with a tightly fitting lid only after sauce has chilled completely. It will keep for one month refrigerated, that is if you can keep from eating it all the moment it has cooled down and been seasoned to your liking.

Rockin' Granola & the No Headphones Blues

Last Friday I took the opportunity presented by an unseasonably warm day to run outside for a change. It had been a couple of months since I had confined my running to the treadmill in the basement. As I've mentioned, I don't mind running on the treadmill, especially when there is something good on TV, but it was nice to get some fresh air and a change of pace.

I put all my cold gear on, grabbed my MP3 player and my new headphones (my trusty old ones broke) and headed out the door. It's always a shot of confidence when I emerge from the basement to run outside because I find that I go at a faster pace for the same effort.

Everything was going fine until I had about 1 ½ miles to go, when my earphones refused to stay in my ears. I was forced to abandon the book I was listening to and actually think. I wish I could say that I had some life altering epiphany, but I didn't. My thoughts went something like this:

Stupid headphones! … Why is my hip doing that? … That's a big dog, I hope that fence is closed. … My breathing sounds like a woman in labor … Hoo hoo heeee … What color should we paint the living room? … That yappy dog is annoying … Blue? … That's a nice car … Brown? … Hoo hoo heee … My toe hurts … I wonder what's for lunch … This road is bumpy … Bright pink? … I'm tired … Hoo hoo heeeeee …

And so on. I think I need new headphones before my own thoughts annoy me to death.

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This is a treat that, while not technically a dessert, does contain sugar. If you like crunchy, high quality granola instead of the chopped cardboard you find in the grocery store then this is for you!

Cameron's Nutty Granola

Ingredients

4 cups rolled oats
1 ¾ cup slivered almonds
1 ½ cup cashews
1 cup sunflower seeds
½ cup pistachios (usually, I can only find salted. Seems to work fine)
1/3 cup pinenuts
1 ¾ cup shredded sweet coconut
¾ cup dark brown sugar
¾ cup honey
½ cup vegetable oil
1 ½ tsp salt
1 cup raisins
1 cup dried cranberries
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp nutmeg
1 tsp ginger preserve (or ½ tsp dried ground ginger)

Directions

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.
In a large bowl, combine the oats, nuts, coconut, brown sugar, and dry spices.
In a separate bowl, combine honey, oil, ginger preserve and salt. Combine both mixtures thoroughly and pour onto 2 sheet pans. Cook for 1 hour and 15 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes to achieve an even color.

Remove from oven and transfer into a large bowl. Add raisins and cranberries and mix until evenly distributed. Allow to cool and gently break.

Note: Nuts can be expensive, particularly the pine nuts and pistachios. If you can afford them, use them. They make it taste awesome. If not, use cheaper nuts, but not peanuts. I've also used pecans and really liked it.

Boringity & Gingerbread Waffles

When I tell people that I'm a runner they often say something to the effect of "I tried running but it was boring." I have to admit, there are times when it is boring to me too. Boringest (yes, I just made up that word) of all is running on a treadmill.

And so I enter winter in Detroit. I've mentioned a couple of times how the weather outside is fittingly frightful this time of year, causing me to retreat to the basement to slog it out on the treadmill. There's not much that I can write about these runs, and if you're a person that doesn't run because of the boringity (yes, that's another made up word) of it, I'm sure reading about running is torture.

So here are some things that I have done to decrease the boringocity (that's three) of running:

- Music: whenever I run outside, and sometimes when I run on the treadmill, I listen to my MP3 player. Music comes in handy for me when I need something to pump me up. Over a long period of time, though, I find it boring because all of the songs on my MP3 player are songs that I know by heart and don't demand my attention. So I start thinking about how tired I am or just start to get bored. Disclaimer: be careful when running while lisening to music, especially loud music. Be especially aware of cars that may or may not see you.

- Audiobooks: My favorite for outside running. Besides running and creating sugar based substances I love to read. With all the demands on my time I rarely have time to read like I would like, so I load books onto my MP3 player and multitask. One drawback is that not just any book will do. They have to be captivating and fairly mindless. Tolstoy will have to wait. I have gone through about a hundred books this way. What am I listening too now you ask? The Life of Pi.

- TV: Obviously only works when running on the treadmill. It helps when something good is on.

- Running partners: Works great for other people. I've already described how I'm not a social runner. (I am, however, a social sugar consumer.)

So, if you've wanted to be a runner but found it boring, maybe give one of these ideas a try. If it's still boring, try skydiving because I hear it's very antiboring (four).

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Since it's just a few days before Christmas I'd better hurry and get all the gingerbread out of my system. There are a lot of complicated recipes for gingerbread waffles out there. This is not one of them. It uses Krusteaz just-add-water pancake mix but any plain pancake batter will work as a base.

Gingerbread Waffles

Ingredients

-3 cups Krusteaz buttermilk pancake mix
-2 cups water
-2 tsp ground cinnamon
-2 tsp ground ginger
-1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
-1/4 cup molasses
-1/4 cup brown sugar
-1 Tbs vegetable oil

Mix all ingedients until combined but still slightly lumpy. Add more water if it is too thick. Cook it up on any ol' waffle iron. I cook them for a fairly long time because I like waffles crispy.

Serve with syrup, especially buttermilk syrup, the recipe for which you can find in another post.

Merry Christmas!

The Glory Days & Mint Truffles

The list of my major running triumphs is short, mainly because I'm so slow I once lost a race to a particularly peppy elm tree. I guess that makes the victories all the more sweet.

One such victory comes from my teenage years. There was a man in my neighborhood with whom I went to church. He was a runner and when I was about 16 or so he invited me to train with him and then run a 5K. We went running together several times. I could tell that he was faster than me but I was grateful that he was willing to slow to accommodate my pace. The day of the race came and he slowed up to run with me for the majority of the race. When the end was in sight he took off and I was unable to match his kick.

A short time after that race there was another that we decided to do. We trained again. I can't say that I really felt myself getting faster or anything. But when race day came and it was time for that final kick I left him in the dust. It was a great feeling and he was very gracious in defeat.

For some reason we didn't run much together after that but I hope it wasn't because he thought that if he couldn't even beat the slow kid from around then the corner then it wasn't even worth trying.

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I've posted three of the recipes for the candies that we have given out this Christmas. Here is the fourth. It is probably the one that I have had the hardest time with. It has just never tasted the way I wanted it to. I think I've got it figured it out now and unfortunately, the recipe posted here is better than the one I used to make the truffles we gave out this year. My apologies to all you Michiganders that got second rate truffles.

Chocolate Mint Truffles

Ingredients

• 10 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped fine
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
• 5-8 drops peppermint extract
• 8 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped fine
• 1/2 cup Dutch process cocoa powder for coating truffles (If you don’t have Dutch process cocoa you can substitute it by adding ½ tsp baking powder to regular cocoa)

Directions

Place the 10 ounces of chocolate and butter in a medium size glass mixing bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds. Remove and stir, and repeat this process 1 more time. Set aside.

Heat the heavy cream and corn syrup in a small saucepan over medium heat until simmering. Remove from the heat and pour the mixture over the melted chocolate mixture; let stand for 2 minutes. Using a rubber spatula, stir gently, starting in the middle of bowl and working in concentric circles until all chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth and creamy. Mix in 5-8 drops of peppermint extract according to taste. Pour the mixture into an 8 by 8-inch glass baking dish and place in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.

Using a melon baller or small cookie scoop, scoop chocolate onto a sheet pan lined with parchment paper and return to the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Place the cocoa powder a pie pan and set aside.

In the meantime, melt the 8 ounces of chocolate using your preferred method. This could be using a double boiler, the microwave or a heating pad. Any way you do it the chocolate should melted but not uncomfortably hot to the touch. The temperature should be about 90 to 92 degrees F. If the temperature goes above 94 degrees the coating will not have a nice snap to it.

Remove the truffles from the refrigerator and shape into balls by rolling between the palms of your hands. Use powder-free vinyl or latex gloves, if desired.

This next step can get a little messy. Dip a couple of your fingers into the chocolate. Place a truffle from the clean hand into the chocolate one. Roll the truffles between your fingers until it has a thin coating all around. Drop onto the cocoa powder. Move the truffle around to coat and leave truffle in the coating for 10 to 15 seconds before removing. In the meantime, continue placing the chocolate-coated truffles in the cocoa. Remove the truffle to a parchment lined sheet pan. Repeat until all truffles are coated. Allow to set in a cool dry place for at least 1 hour; or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. We found it necessary to knock off the excess cocoa powder by shaking them in a sealed container. Otherwise the powder can be a little overpowering. Truffles are best when served at room temperature.

Adapted from Alton Brown

Slush for Brains & Caramels

This past weekend the area in I which live was hit by a moderate snowstorm immediately followed by temperatures that would make a polar bear grab a scarf. It's so cold that the salt that the crews put down on the roads hasn't really worked so there's still slipping and sliding all over the place.

Into this scene I begin my brief narrative. I hopped in my car at 6 am this morning, immeasurably grateful for an attached garage. The temperature was right around zero with a wind chill of -10. I drove down my street in the eery pre-dawn blackness. There, ahead of me were ethereal lights bobbing yellow and white like little eskimo fireflies.

Okay, enough with the drama. The little lights were the reflectors on a certifiably insane runner out before dawn in sub-zero temperatures, running on ice. I thought to myself, I like running, but obviously not as much as that guy because you will never find me doing that. Halleluiah for a treadmill.

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My wife and I have been slaving away over sugar pots for the last week finishing up our Christmas chocolates. I've already posted the recipes for two of the staples, Almond Joys and Buckeyes. Today I'm posting a new favorite that we've worked on for a couple of years and finally found the perfect winner.

Soft Caramels

1 quart heavy cream (32 oz)

4 cups sugar

2 cups corn syrup

1 can evaporated milk

1 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

Combine the cream. sugar, corn syrup, evaporated milk and salt in a large pot and heat on medium, stirring regularly until it reaches 235 degrees (soft ball stage). Remove from heat and add vanilla. Pour into greased 9X13 cake pan. Chill thoroughly. Cut into bite sized pieces and roll in squares of wax paper.

Notes:

-Use a large pot because it will bubble up to more than double in volume.

-It will heat up pretty quickly until it hits about 215 degrees then it will go much more slowly. It could take an hour or more. Be patient, it's worth it.

-Works wonderfully to dip in chocolate and sprinkle with a little sea salt.

Recipe from Wendy Russon. Her annual Christmas gift of caramels was the single most coveted goody in our house.

Blood, Sweat & Apple Dip

I went for a 5 mile run last night at a pace that I thought would be nice and leisurely. During the run, however, I had to slow down a couple of times because I felt like I was pushing it a little too hard. Fortunately I finished feeling pretty good.

Only after I finished did I realize that I had donated blood in the morning. That would explain the lethargy.

The experience was a good reminder to me that not every run is going to go according to plan. When I'm in the midst of training for a race I have a schedule that I follow religiously. But there are days when it's just not there and I feel like I have to take it down a level.

Obviously, if I cut every workout down a notch then I won't reach my goal, but it's okay to cut back today and make up for it tomorrow. I'm glad that I've gotten to the point in my running where I feel okay about cutting my losses and living to fight another day.

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This recipe is fool-proof and fabulous. It is perfect for any type of party.

Apple Dip

1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
¾ cup of melted butterscotch chips (1/2 bag) (Nestle works better than generic)
¼ tsp cinnamon
Dash salt
1 Tbs vinegar

Mix all ingredients. Heat in microwave or on the stovetop, stirring periodically until all of the butterscotch chips are melted and the dip is smooth. Great with green apples or bananas.

Wanted: Buckeyes & a Fear of Failure

As I've mentioned before, I've always struggled with my weight, which fluctuates a lot based upon the unsustainable diet of the moment. Almost two years ago I began my current effort using the low-tech "Eat Less, Move More" diet. I've lost 50 pounds and kept it off for more than a year. Although I wouldn't mind losing another ten, I'd be happy to stay where I am.

One of the problems that I've had with past diets has been that the exercise portion hadn't stuck. I’ve done a lot of things including basketball and even running but it wasn't until I started setting running goals that I was able to stick with something long enough to maintain the weight loss.

My first goal was to run a 10K, then I increased it to a half-marathon, then a marathon, then another. I'm now at a crossroads. I've finished a couple of marathons and while I know that it would take a lot of work to be ready for another, I know that I could do it. The fear of failure that has driven me in the past is gone.

So I've been browsing around for new things to challenge myself. There are several options:

Marathons or half marathons with faster time goals
Pros: Cheap. Familiar. Works well with my schedule
Cons: Might not provide enough motivation to keep me pushing

Triathlons
Pros: Something new, fun, excuse to get a bike
Cons: Expensive (see bike above). Have to get access to and arrange time at a pool

Ultramarathon (running anything longer than a marathon, usually 50 or 100 miles, but sometimes as long as 135)
Pros: Challenging
Cons: Time consuming. Crazy

For now I've decided to go the easy route and try for some faster times. My next race is the Martian Half Marathon in April. If that fails to provide sufficient motivation then I'm sure you'll read about it here. Maybe I'll eventually have to rename the blog "Will Run Until My Feet Turn Blue and Fall Off for Dessert".

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It must be Christmas time because people around me have started to inquire when they will receive their annual bag of homemade chocolates. My wife and I gave out about 70 bags last year to friends, neighbors and coworkers. Almond Joys are always there (see recipe in previous post) as are Buckeyes. They are awesome.

Buckeyes

1 ½ cups creams peanut butter (12 oz.)
½ cup butter, softened (1 cube)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups sifted powdered sugar (1 lb)
1 cup rice crispies
Milk chocolate for dipping

Mix peanut butter, butter, vanilla, and powdered sugar. Dough should be smooth and stiff but not too dry. Add rice crispies and mix gently until distributed. If you mix too much you'll crush them. Shape into balls and place on wax paper lined tray or cookie sheet. Chill thoroughly (I freeze them solid. Seriously, in the freezer for two days.). Prepare chocolate in a double boiler and dip chilled balls. You can drop, coat, and pull out with a spoon, leaving part of the peanut butter mixture exposed looking like a real buckeye nut. What we've found works best is to stick the frozen balls with a bamboo skewer, let drip, put onto wax paper, and pull out skewer. You can press the top to get rid of the little hole later. Return to wax paper and chill to set.

Drug-Dealers & Hawaiian Weddings

A few years ago I was on a business trip to Ciudad Juárez, Mexico. A colleague of mine was also a runner. We had some spare time and we both wanted to go for a run. The problem was that he really wanted to go outside and I really wanted to use one of the hotel's treadmills. He thought I was nuts and teased me a little. So he went out alone and I watched something, probably a Mexican soap opera, on TV while I ran on the treadmill. But I enjoyed it nonetheless.

For one thing, even though it is much worse now, Ciudad Juárez was not the safest place in the world to be an unarmed blond guy (I guess I do feel a little guilty for letting him go out alone). For another, I really don't mind a treadmill. For yet another, I'm not a very social runner. I'm always worried that I'm holding them back and it's usually too much of a hassle to arrange times with others.

There seems to be a prevailing thought in the world of running that we're all supposed to love going out in packs and loathe those terrible weather days that force us into the basement on the 'mill.

I say live and let live! I have other interests in life besides running. Among other things I love reading and watching a little TV. One of the ways that I can fit running into what I feel is a well rounded life is by combining some of my interests. When I'm on the treadmill, I can also watch TV. When there's good running weather I get to listen to audio books while I run outside. (It's hard to chat with a running buddy while concentrating on the latest Grisham.)

The moral of this story is to run whichever way gives you the most pleasure and fits the best into your life circumstance. That, and don't get kidnapped by drug-dealers.

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I'm not sure how authentically Hawaiian this cake is since I first had it in Michigan (not exactly a hotbed of Hawaiian culture), or what it has to do with weddings, but it sure is tasty.

Hawaiian Wedding Cake

1 cup margarine
2 cup sugar
5 eggs
2 tsp baking powder
1 lb graham cracker crumbs
1 (#2) can crushed pineapple, drained
6 oz (½ bag) coconut
1 cup milk
1 cup walnuts (optional)

Cream the butter & sugar, add eggs and baking powder. Mix together. Slowly add milk and the rest of the ingredients. Pour into a 9x13 pan. Bake at 375 degrees for 40-50 minutes. Frost with cream cheese frosting.

PRs (Personal Record & Pumpkin Roll)

The traditional thing for runners to do on Thanksgiving morning is to do a turkey trot. Detroit has a really nice one that I've never done. I had looked into it this year but missed the sign up deadline.

So I decided to have my own little turkey trot and since it was raining outside I decided to do it on my treadmill in the basement. (Okay, I realize that it is sounding less and less like a turkey trot. Oh well.) I had been thinking of doing a 10K in the real race so that's what I decided to on the treadmill.

While I was at it, I decided to go for a personal record. I've only run two 10Ks before, but I've done 6 miles or more dozens of times while training for other things. My previous PR was about 54 minutes (I forgot the seconds). Yesterday I set the speed at 7 miles an hour and went after it. I was watching Man v. Food of course.

I was doing fine until mile 4. I seriously considered stopping at 5 miles but kept trucking along. I was nearly dead by the time it hit 6.2 miles. It wasn't pretty, but I set a new PR by about a minute.

I stumbled around the basement a few times in a feeble attempt at a cool down. The recovery shake helped and then there was the ice bath. I don't know if it helped, but it was cold.

I walked a little gingerly the rest of the day but felt good knowing that I had preemptively countered a small portion of the calories that ate later in the day. A very small portion.

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In honor of Thanksgiving, I am posting one of my favorite pumpkin recipes. It tastes great and looks cool.

Pumpkin Roll

Cake:
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup pumpkin
1 tsp lemon juice
¾ cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
½ tsp nutmeg


Filling:
1 cup powdered sugar
8 oz cream cheese at room temperature
4 Tbs butter
½ tsp vanilla

Beat eggs for 5 minutes. Add sugar. Stir in pumpkin and lemon juice and set aside. In separate bowl, stir together dry cake ingredients. Mix wet and dry ingredients and spread into greased and heavily floured 11X16 baking pan (1/2 flat baking sheet. Make sure it has sides. Tip: lay wax paper in bottom). Top with 1 cup walnuts (optional). Bake at 370 degrees for 15 minutes. Put lots of powdered sugar on a clean towel. Take cake from oven and immediately turn on to towel. Roll up and let cool for one hour.

Combine filling ingredients and beat until smooth. Unroll cake and spread filling evenly over top. Roll up and let chill for several hours. Cut into ¾ - 1 inch slices.

The Smell of Success & Molasses Cookies

I've made my decision. I'm going to play it safe and run the half marathon at the Martian Marathon in April. (I began this train of thought in the posting titled "Irony & Lemon Blossoms".)

I've completed 2 full marathons and neither went very well. I followed my training plans religiously but when it came to the actual races, everything seemed to fall apart. I went out way too fast for both, but especially the first, and later bonked early and hard. The second was on a very warm day for a marathon and I didn't slow down to compensate. In the end I finished both races more than a half hour behind my goal. I'll admit I was dicouraged and a big part of me wants to try again to redeem myself.

There are a few considerations though:

• Time. More specifically, my lack of it and anyone that has trained for a marathon can attest to the fact that it takes a lot of time. Most of the Saturday long runs are hours long and it seems to eat up most of the day, not to mention the many days that I got out of bed at 4 am or earlier to run.
  


• Physiology. I'm a big guy. I'm 6'2" and at the top end of the healthy BMI. At the peak of marathon training my body gets really broken down from that much pounding. What's really weird is that my body starts to rebel and I gain some weight even though I'm running 35+ a week.
  


• Need to feel successful. While training for my second marathon, I discovered that the Martian Half Marathon fit perfectly into my training plan. I signed up and just viewed it as a fun workout. I had a soft goal in mind of 2 hours. I didn't want to kill myself and ruin the upcoming full marathon. I went out and felt good. I ended up finishing in 1:54 including a potty break. It felt really good to surpass my goal. (In fact, I finished so early that my family hadn't yet arrived to see me finish.)

I'm sure all you Tony Robbins types out there are saying, "Cameron, you shouldn't lower your goals to meet your ability. You should shoot for the moon..." Blah, blah, blah. I've already proven to myself that I can finish a marathon. For now I want to see how good I can do at a distance that better fits my current circumstance in life. So take that, Tony.

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I know some of you bravely endure my ramblings about running in order to get to the good stuff; dessert. These cookies are more spiced than many molasses cookies, something I really enjoy. They are perfect with a nice glass of ice cold milk.

Soft Molasses Cookies

¾ cup shortening
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
½ cup molasses
2 ½ cups flour
½ tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp allspice
1 tsp nutmeg

Cream together shortening and brown sugar. Stir in egg and molasses and mix well. Fold in dry ingredients and stir. Cover and chill until firm (1-2 hours). Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll dough into small balls and roll in white sugar. Place on lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake for 9-10 minutes. Leave on sheet for minute to set.

Recipe by Jan Badovinac

Photo by sheenbean

Strollers and Liquid Gold

Yesterday was jam packed and I had a hard time figuring out when I was going to cram in my run. In the end the only time available was while my wife was away and I was watching the three kiddies. I could run on the treadmill, but it seemed like such a waste of a beautiful fall day.

So I bundled up the kids and loaded the two youngest in the double stroller. I made my eldest daughter hop on her bike and away we went.

Whenever I try something like this with the kids I keep my expectations very low. For some reason they have the tendency to go into cosmic meltdowns whenever I have the audacity to hope they'll just chill out for any period of time.

I thoroughly expected the outing to turn into a nightmare but it actually went well. My oldest on the bike didn't complain too much and the two in the stroller stayed put for the most part.

One small portion of the run took us through a bustling shopping center. The stroller kids started waving to the cars as they passed and even if the people didn't wave back they at least smiled. It was pretty cute.

All in all. it was a good run. I'd prefer to run without pushing a stroller, but sometimes you just do what you can. Maybe it's time to have a higher hopes for my kids, or maybe waiting until they're in their thirties would be safer.

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This time of year I always feel like having long, filling breakfasts, then I make a note to run extra the next day. There's a restaurant we used to go to all of the time before we moved that had the best syrup to go with all-you-can-eat french toast. It's not maple syrup. It's a golden concoction of buttery, creamy and sweet goodness. Most of the time I wished they'd skip the french toast and just let me drink the syrup.

Buttermilk Syrup

Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 T corn syrup
1 cube butter or margarine
1/2 tea vanilla
1/2 tea baking soda

Directions:
1. Boil sugar, buttermilk, corn syrup, and butter for 3 minutes in medium saucepan.
2. Let the mixture simmer for another 3 minutes.
3. Remove from heat and mix in vanilla.
4. Stir in baking soda.
5. Serve over french toast, waffles or pancakes.

Irony & Lemon Blossoms

In an uncommon moment of thought I realized that I often eat junk food while watching The Biggest Loser and work out while watching Man vs. Food. Kind of ironic.

So, while watching Man vs. Food last night I ran 4 miles on the treadmill. We've had a lot of company lately so my workouts have been very sporadic. I have my eyes on the Martian Marathon in early April. It's a fun local race that I've done the last couple of years. My only problem is deciding between a half marathon or a full.

After finishing my second marathon in May in near dead condition I vowed I'd stick to half marathons. I reasoned that I just have too much mass to run that far without doing damage.

However, the last few weeks I've started considering it again. I think it's generally the same phenomenon that happens to women after giving birth to a child. After seeing my wife give birth to our first child naturally I'll never understand how she brought herself to have another. It's like we get amnesia after doing something that is supremely unpleasant but ultimately good for us.

I'll let you know what I decide. I just hope I don't end up deciding to have another kid.

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I'm back on the treadmill because Detroit is awful... in the winter. Today's recipe is like eating a little bite of sunshine. Somehow I always end up eating 15 bites of sunshine before my wife manages to pull me away from the plate.


Lemon Blossoms

Ingredients
18 1/2-ounce package yellow cake mix
3 1/2-ounce package instant lemon pudding mix
4 large eggs
3/4 cup vegetable oil

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray miniature muffin tins with vegetable oil cooking spray. Combine the cake mix, pudding mix, eggs and oil and blend well with an electric mixer until smooth, about 2 minutes. Pour a small amount of batter, filling each muffin tin half way. Bake for 12 minutes. Turn out onto a tea towel.

Glaze:
4 cups confectioners' sugar
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1 lemon, zested
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 tablespoons water

To make the glaze, sift the sugar into a mixing bowl. Add the lemon juice, zest, oil, and 3 tablespoons water. Mix with a spoon until smooth.

With fingers, dip the cupcakes into the glaze while they're still warm, covering as much of the cake as possible, or spoon the glaze over the warm cupcakes, turning them to completely coat. Place on wire racks with waxed paper underneath to catch any drips. Let the glaze set thoroughly, about 1 hour, before storing in containers with tight-fitting lids.

From Paula Dean

Squishy Shoes and Candied Nuts

I had a lot of fun last night running with my wife and a couple of friends of ours. We did a local 8K to see the lighting of a community holiday lights display… while pushing 6 kids in 4 strollers… in near freezing temperatures… in the pouring rain.

By the time we were done we were all soaked to the bone. With every step came the squish, squish noise of saturated footwear. My fingers had turned into deathly pale raisins inside of the gloves. Surprisingly, there was very little complaining from the kids. I think a combination of hand warmers, glow sticks and the promise of post-race goodies kept them (slightly) above the meltdown threshold.

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As I tried to connect this with some sort of sugary concoction for purposes of this blog I started thinking about a couple of times in grad school when I sat through football games in absolutely miserable weather, in many cases long after the result of the game was no longer in question (because I refuse to be one of those pansies that leaves early).

I'm still trying to decide which I liked more, watching the game (even in the rain) or smelling the cinnamon almonds. Turns out they are super easy to make yourself, and much cheaper.


Candied Almonds

Ingredients

½ cup water
1 cup white sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp ground nutmeg (optional)
¼ tsp ground ginger (optional)
2 cups whole roasted, but not salted, almonds (other types of nuts or cuts such sliced or slivered will work)

Directions

Combine the water, sugar, and spices in a saucepan over medium heat; bring to a boil; add the almonds. Cook and stir the mixture until the liquid evaporates and leaves a syrup-like coating on the almonds. Pour the almonds onto a baking sheet lined with waxed paper. Separate almonds using forks. Allow to cool about 15 minutes.

These are great for a snack by themselves or as a topping for ice cream or salads, especially when using sliced almonds. Spices can be omitted, or changed based upon your preferences. If I'm going to use them on salads I reduce the amount of spices by about half.

Freak Bowling Accident

The setting: mid-August, just 5 weeks before the Run Woodstock trail half-marathon. A man, his pretty wife and three cute kids walk into a 70s era bowling alley (somehow, all bowling alleys are 70s era).

Important fact: the man is a horrible bowler.

The man miraculously begins the game with a turkey, then the law of averages kicks in. The game is no longer going well. He stands with the bowling ball poised for action. He visualizes the perfect throw, begins his approach, takes a deep breath and swings the ball back. Then, disaster… and pain. Somehow his knee managed to insert itself into the forward trajectory of the ball.

The ball gives a hearty chuckle as it rolls down the gutter.

The man stifles walrus-like moans of pain while his wife ponders whether or not what just happened is physically possible unless the swing had actually been aimed at the snack bar. He shakes it off. His knee is tender to the touch and occasionally sends a shot of pain, probably to remind him of the extent of his suckiness. Game over. The mostly happy family exits the building.

Two days later he goes for a long training run. The side of his knee starts aching, then hurts in earnest at around mile seven. He toughs it out, because he's way too manly to give in to something so trivial.

Diagnosis: IT Band Syndrome (irritation leading to inflammation of the iliotibial band, a tendon that runs on the side of the leg from the hip to just below the knee)

Recommended treatment: A little bit of this, a little bit of that. Mostly rest, ice, ibuprofen. Maybe an occasional visit to a local voodoo practitioner. Nothing works. The man is frustrated. Weeks pass, and so does Run Woodstock, with no improvement. Every time he runs his knee starts hurting after a mile and a half. It doesn't hurt him except when he runs, which on the one hand is better than being in constant pain, but on the other, serves to repeatedly trick him into getting his hopes up until they come crashing down as the pain mounts during the same stretch of Snow St.

He's come to his wits end and contemplates the uncontemplateable; going to see the doctor. He knows that the doctor is going to tell him to stop running, and he can tell himself that without having to pay a deductible, and that would mean missing the next race, the Veterans Half Marathon. He returns to the internet to dig deeper, like Columbo with broadband. There, tucked into some of the shadier running injury sites are claims that some people find relief of IT Band Syndrome with a certain type of knee brace. He immediately orders one, tentatively tries it out and, to the sweet music imagined choirs of angels, feels no pain.

He's back in the game, baby.