Pressure Time & Molten Lava

The big day is now just three days away! The weather for race day looks perfect; mid-30s – mid-40s and cloudy. My hips haven't hurt for about a week so I hope that whatever was going on in their has had a chance to fix itself.

Not being a naturally talented runner, I have always been very strict about having a training plan and sticking to it. Until my hip troubles I have followed the plan to the letter. And yet I'm still going into the race not entirely confident that I'll be able reach my goal of getting a PR.

My current half marathon PR of 1:54 was set last year in the same race in almost the exact same conditions. At the time I was in the thick of training for a full marathon, so 13.1 miles was actually a shorter distance than I was running the Saturdays before and after the race. I decided to do the race as a training run. I went out really loose with nothing to prove and no firm goal in mind. I thought it would be nice to break two hours but I knew I couldn't kill myself because I had to keep training the following week. About half way through I was feeling good and I could tell that I had plenty left in the tank so I decided to push it. I was thrilled with the result because, while not spectacular for many a fit person, my performance greatly exceeded my expectations.

So this year, it seems all things are equal, except that I have definite plans to do well. I guess we'll see if I can live up to the self-imposed pressure.

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My wife and I have been big fan's of Chili's Molten Lava cake for years. Since we're cheap and adventurous we decided to try and make it ourselves rather than run to Chili's and fork down $6 for a serving everytime we're jonesing for some chocolaty goodness. We've tried many recipe with disappointing results but finally found one that fits the bill. It started as a surprisingly complicated recipe from the Food Network that made the cake from scratch. When we tasted it I decide that there was almost no difference between the scratch cake and one from a box so I simplified.

Molten Lava Cake (copycat for Chili's)

For the cakes:
-Mix one box devil's food cake mix according to instructions

For the filling:
-8 oz bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
-1/2 cup heavy cream
-4 Tbs unsalted butter
-1 Tbs light corn syrup

For plating:
-Chocolate Magic Shell topping
-Vanilla ice cream
-Caramel sauce for drizzling

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 4 10 oz brioche molds, ramekins or jumbo muffin cups with cooking spray. Dust with cocoa powder and tap out the extra.

Pour the cake batter evenly into the molds and bake until a toothpick comes out clean. Let the cakes cool until they pull away from the molds.

Meanwhile, make the filling. Microwave the chocolate, cream, butter and corn syrup in a microwave-safe bowl in 30-second intervals, stirring each time, until the chocolate starts to melt, 1 minute, 30 seconds. Let sit 3 minutes, then whisk until smooth. Reheat before using, if necessary.

Use the tip of a paring knife to gently loosen the cakes from the molds, then invert the cakes onto a cutting board.

Use the knife to cut a 1 1/2-inch circle on the top of each cake, cutting almost to the bottom. Hollow out the cake with a spoon; save the scraps. Wrap the cakes with plastic wrap and microwave until steaming, 1 minute.

Drizzle plates with caramel, then unwrap the cakes and place on top. Pour about 3 tablespoons filling into each cake.

Plug the hole with a cake scrap. Save or discard any remaining scraps.
Top each cake with a scoop of ice cream and Magic Shell. Pig out.

You put your left hip out... & Shortbread

I mentioned in my last post that one of the reasons the run was ugly was that my hip hurt. Well, my run the following day was not nearly as ugly; I had plenty of energy, but my left hip started aching pretty badly at about mile three and the pain stayed all the way to mile 12.

To help the healing after the run I took a freezing cold bath and took some anti-inflammatories. I didn't run on Monday or Wednesday, and did just a little less than 3 miles on Tuesday until I felt the pain coming back. I'm not going to run today or tomorrow either. I'll go out for my long run on Saturday morning though.

It's all about gambling now. I'm gambling that I have enough fitness to hold out to the race just ten days away. It's better to let your body heal at the possible expense of a little fitness than to push the body to the point that you can't race at all.

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Cookie Canvases (Shortbread)

Ingredients:
2 cups butter (softened)
2 cups sugar
4 cups flour

Glaze:
½ lbs powdered sugar
5-6 Tbsp milk

Cream butter with sugar. Gradually add flour. Press into a large, rimmed cookie sheet and bake at 325 for 20-25 minutes. Cut into squares while still warm and transfer to a wire rack. Again, while still warm, brush with glaze. Allow to sit at room temp for 24 hours for the glaze to set. Paint with food coloring.

Recipe from Catherine Greer Limpo

Big Uglies & Gooey Caramel Popcorn

I went for a run this morning, and it might have been the ugliest run I've ever been on.

I'm closing in on two weeks before the half marathon that I've been training for the last two months. The training plan I'm on has this week as the hardest week with the highest mileage and some tempo runs thrown in to boot. This morning called for a 6 mile run. The weather was perfect so I went outside. The weather was the only thing perfect. I was slow, way behind pace. My hip hurt. I was pretty unmotivated. Every mile was a battle.

This isn't the first time I've had an ugly run but the proximity of race has me a little freaked out. I'm really writing this in an attempt to discover the cause of the ugliness so as to avoid it in the future.

Reasons for the ugly:

1) Lack of sleep. I really haven't gotten enough for the last week. I normally need at least 7 hours per night. In the thick of training it should a little more. Last night I got about 5 hours. Solution: surf internet less, sleep more.

2) Garbage food. I had a fabulous time last night watching my team win their first round game in the NCAA tournament with a bunch of friend. Throughout the night I ate junk food galore. Solution: have at least an ounce of self control.

3) Incomplete recovery. Two nights ago I had a very hard workout. It was almost eight mile with most of it at or above my goal pace. Solution: there really isn't one. Our bodies get stronger and faster by being pushed a little past their limits and then recovering. I think I should have just been aware that I wasn't going to break any world records this morning and it wouldn't have been so depressing.

Tomorrow morning I embark on my longest training run; 12 miles. I guess we'll see if I learned anything from this morning or if ugly is here to stay.

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This is our good ol’ fashioned family recipe for gooey caramel popcorn. It’s best when it’s still warm but don’t burn your mouth off or anything.

Caramel Popcorn

Ingedients:
½ cup butter
1 cup corn syrup
1 can sweetened condensed milk
2 cups brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 ½ gallons plain popcorn

In saucepan, combine butter, brown sugar, and corn syrup. Stir well and bring to boil over medium heat. Stir in sweetened condense milk. Simmer stirring constantly, until mixture reaches soft ball stage (234 degrees). Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla. Pour over popcorn and mix until evenly coated. Wait for 5 minutes to cool then stuff your face until you go into a sugar coma.