Bread of the Dead

Bones in the bread

I've always loved the traditions, artwork and customs associated with Mexico's "Day of the Dead", and a few months ago I stumbled across this Pan de Muerto (bread of the dead) recipe from the Wild Yeast blog. I bookmarked it and decided to make it on Halloween.

Don't even think about it Mr Pumpkin Head

It took most of the day to make as there are three separate ferments and rises. I measured by weight, and it was a little wet (which caused my skull and bones decor to flatten out a bit too much) but it turned out great. It was delicious, with a subtle hint of citrus. Everyone set about it and pulled it apart.

I'm glad I got these pictures before the wolves descended.

The rum-infused apple crumble I made last night (and in which I partook of seconds) certainly had an effect because I slept through my alarm this morning. So no Double Danish run for me (good thing my White Rock training plan doesn't start until tomorrow). I did a single with Steve instead, and enjoyed a great start to my Sunday.

Which continued when Dylan fell asleep on the sofa with me this afternoon. We'd been trying to put him down for a nap all day, but whenever we did he just yelled and screamed. Eventually I got him to cuddle up to me and he just nodded off. It's been a while since he's done that, and these are truly the moments you live for as a dad.

I took full advantage of them, as you can see - that is a very contented smile.

A very happy daddy

This evening we took the boys trick-or-treating around the neighborhood. I swear they got enough candy to have them both climbing the walls for weeks!!!


Afterward, we all sat outside to hand out goodies to the other trick-or-treaters (and there were a lot of them this year) while raiding our own supplies. Both boys dug right in and enjoyed themselves.

At one point, we looked around and Dylan had partially escaped from his costume. The look he gave us was priceless, and resulted in the best photo of the night.


After we retired inside, Nancy got Dylan off to bed while I read Gavin one of the Halloween stories we'd picked up at the library this afternoon. After I'd confiscated the candy he'd hidden in his bed, we finally had a chance to sit down and enjoy a nice glass of port.

Happy Halloween everyone.

No Cactii Here

This time last year I was in the middle of the Cactus Rose 100 mile race. I must admit to a certain smugness when I was driving downtown for my run this morning and realized this year's race was about to start - I'm glad I'm not running it this year.

One of the things I missed last year was the chance to go trick or treating with my boys, and I'm going to make up for it this year. We always sit outside with our cauldron of candy (and sometimes a glass of wine) and I think Gavin enjoys handing out just as much as collecting.

Behold this year's costumes (and please note that Gavin has laid claim to my Frankenthon socks!!!!!).


Friday night we went to Hootenanny at Gavin's school. They had all kinds of games, a haunted house, and were celebrating the 134th birthday of the school. I had volunteered for a stint on the kindergarten "duck pond" stall, and then we wandered around partaking of all the fun. It was really cool to see Gavin interact with all his friends.

And I swear that kid knows everyone in the school.

At one point his principal (she was dressed as Mr Potato Head) came over to congratulate us on Gavin winning "Student of the Week" honors. Apparently he'd had a big presentation in morning assembly.

Of course he hadn't told us anything!!!!


This morning was probably the first really cold day of the season. It was 45F when Clea and I started running, and it was wonderful. We did 4 miles before meeting up with the Scooby gang for the rest of the run.

Big thanks to Clea for interrupting her Frankenthon recovery to meet me early for extra miles as I get ready for White Rock.

And my aim from now until White Rock is to do almost every run at or below an 8 minute mile pace. Frank is in the same place as me, so we fell in together and just took off. I don't think we ran a single mile slower than 8:00, and finished up our run averaging 7:50/mile (including stops at various intersections).

I have put together a training plan for White Rock - it includes long runs, midweek runs (getting my lazy butt out of bed), cycling, weights, tabata and yoga. I have posted it on the refrigerator so I can cross off each workout as I do it, and/or be reminded of how much I'm slacking every time I go to get a beer.

Makes me a lot more accountable somehow.

Nancy's Aunt and cousin are visiting this weekend to give us a break from her dad. I have to say, they don't put up with any of his nonsense and really laid the law down to him about his attitude. They also made him do more things for himself instead of his demanding to be served.

Of course, he's mad at all of us for that. But hey, he's mad at us most of the time anyway.

So we were actually able to go on a very rare family outing this afternoon, and we took the boys to the pumpkin hunt at Evergreen farms. We got to ride the wagon into the Christmas tree fields to hunt for pumpkins, played with the pumpkin launcher, the maze, the fishing pond and any number of other activities.

Here we are riding in the wagon.


We bought a nice large pumpkin home to carve (I am working away on it at the beginning of this post). I thought it turned out really well, but I'll post the photographic evidence tomorrow and let you decide.

Tonight I made some really good apple crumble (with rum) for dessert. It went down a treat, and should at least ensure everyone sleeps well :-)

Danish run planned for the morning.

Dreaming of White Rocks

These dreams go on when I close my eyes

- Heart

I've had some really weird running-related dreams recently - straight out of the twilight zone. In them, I keep finding myself at the start line of some random race decked out in running shirt, shorts and my work shoes and socks. Confused and feeling like an idiot (and a none too fashionable one at that), I am running around in circles asking if anyone knows where my running shoes are. Then the gun goes off, we all take off and I realize I don't even know what race or distance I'm doing.

And everyone's running really fast.

So I'm pushing hard to keep up and asking if anyone knows what race this is. For some reason all the runners are faceless, but they keep laughing at me and telling me to just read my bib. I look down and it says "The Race of Life - distance unknown".

Then it all melts away and I find myself sitting alone on top of a mountain in a blizzard, shivering and waiting to pace a mysterious runner I know will never come.

Strange, huh?


I've been feeling a little restless since Frankenthon. I'm nursing a sore hip and a niggling pain in the ball of my foot, so I haven't been doing much except yoga.

On the other hand, I know I've been running well in the last month or so, and am not entirely happy with myself for taking my foot off the gas on that last loop at the weekend. I know a sub-4 hour marathon is good, but I also know I have a faster marathon in me. So this morning I signed up for the Dallas White Rock marathon.

Nancy and the boys can't go with me because of her dad. So I'm going to drive up on the Saturday, stay the night, run the race and drive home.

And I'm excited. It's a big city marathon with lots of crowd support, and I've heard nothing but good things about it. So what better chance to really push the boat out and go for it from the start.

I very rarely publicly state my race goals in advance, but I would love to finish another marathon in the 3:30s.

And maybe, just maybe, if I have a really good day, somewhere in the 3:20s.

And if I blow up, it will still be good practice for running on tired legs at Rocky.

Going Loopy at Frankenthon

There are certain universal truths that are held to be self evident - that Superman does not like kryptonite, that vampires are allergic to sunlight, and that I do not run well in humidity.

So of course, after several weeks of wonderfully cool mornings the forecast for race morning was warm and humid. There is a lovely old British word which completely sums up situations such as these. It's the same word I recommended to Clea when she found out that Boston sold out earlier this week.

It is simply this - bugger.

But there's no point in worrying about things you can't change, so Saturday morning found me at Brushy Creek, bright eyed, bushy tailed and ready to run the second annual Frankenthon marathon.

The course is 3 loops of the park, consisting of a series of out-and-backs run on a mixture of concrete and trail. The organization and Halloween-themed swag are excellent. With lots of wonderful volunteers and plenty of post-run good eats, this is a great small race.

After saying hello to a few friends we were off.

Clea and I had to hit 8:30 averages to meet her 3:45 BQ goal - this seemed real easy over the last few weeks of nice weather, and sure enough the first loop was gone before we knew it. Between chatting and running, we built a 1 minute cushion which we increased to 2 minutes by the end of the second loop.

But the humidity got me on the last loop. We were hoping to run the whole race together, but I realized around mile 19 that I was struggling while Clea was still running strongly. I didn't want to hold her up so I told her to go on. I cut my pace way back and coasted the last few miles, eventually crossing the finish line in 3:56:43.

And I am more than happy with that.

After spending some time with Clea, Mike, Jasper and Meredith (and partaking of the delicious post-race pizza) I set off around the lake to try and find Cheri who was still out there running.

Back at Rocky Raccoon in February I should have offered to pace her when Derek dropped, and I've always regretted not doing so. I found her at mile 23 and we had a great chance to catch up while we ran the last few miles together.

They even remembered me at the final aid station as the first (and only) runner who had come through and accepted their offer of a beer.

Bonus miles with Cheri

This was another fun race, and I ran it in pretty much the same time as I did last year. It was also the first time I've actually run a marathon with anyone. It was fun - I loved being able to chat the miles away, and it was an interesting contrast to my usual style.

You see, Clea is kind of like the running terminator - you set her in motion and she just keeps on going. Tough and determined, she gave me an object lesson in how to pace a marathon. Her second loop was 5 seconds faster than the first and 15 seconds slower than the last. Negative split - check, consistent pace - check, hitting your goal - she knocked it out of the park and finished in 3:42, winning her age group for good measure. Yeah, this girl is a walking textbook on how to run a marathon.

By contrast, my usual method is to go out fast and try like hell to hold on for as long as I can. Sometimes I succeed and sometimes I don't, but I can rarely resist the urge to go for it.

I just hope I can channel the same level of focus and determination Clea had for my goal race at Rocky.

I'll Call it Carb Loading

I ran 8 miles this morning at a very pleasing 7:30 pace, so when I got home I decided to reward myself with a breakfast burrito - maple smoked bacon, scrambled eggs, cheese and lots of guacamole wrapped in a huge tortilla. It was delicious.

So delicious I made myself another.

I love "carb loading"!!!

Big Green and Running Mean

Green power - Gavin Hulk debuts for Halloween 2010

Another busy day that started super early - a 4am alarm call saw me meeting Clea down at Town Lake for our last long run before next week's Frankenthon marathon. 12 miles was on the cards - it was a deliciously chilly morning and the miles just kept ticking over. We met up with Steve and Meghan at mile 4, and ran a Jefferson loop with them which took us up to 12.

I'd always had it in my head that I was going to go for more, so when we got back to the rock I said farewell to Clea and carried on with Steve and Meghan to do a Town Lake loop out to IH-35. Steve and Meghan dropped off about 2 miles into the loop, but I had my sights set on 20 so I said my goodbyes and kept going. I accelerated and dropped my pace into the 7s, easing into the rhythm of the run and just enjoying my own company and the beautiful morning.

I got back to the rock at 19 miles, so I carried on going up Veterans and along Lake Austin to Exposition before turning around and finally hitting my 20 mile goal.

I averaged in the 8:20s and managed the whole run on 20oz of water and two pieces of toast I had before I left the house - amazing the difference the weather makes. The 2:49 I ran was about 10-20 minutes faster than I intend to run the first 20 miles of the Rocky Raccoon 100, so it was a good early indication that I'm heading in the right direction.

I'm looking forward to the marathon next week. My goal is to help Clea run a Boston Qualifying 3:45, and other than that just use it as a long training run. I ran it last year and it was a fun race, with a great race shirt and yummy pizza afterward.

But back to today. I got home and still had a bunch of energy to burn so I grabbed the mower and mowed the grass back and front, then headed up to the attic and pulled out our Halloween decorations.

Gavin with "Marcus the Carcus"

We had a lot of fun putting them up. We strung up a series of bones, pumpkins, witches, Vampires and other monsters.

I love Halloween.

I also found some silicon muffin molds I bought in the post-Halloween sales last year and stashed away. I'm currently working my way through the King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion (the best baking book I've ever used), so I rustled up some wholewheat banana, walnut and chocolate chip muffins.

I think they turned out quite well. What do you think?


This afternoon we went shopping for Halloween costumes. We're still searching out one for Dylan, but Gavin chose to be the Hulk this year. I think he likes it.

I also took the opportunity to pick up a new pair of jeans. Since I've been mixing up all this running and cross training, none of my old ones fit any more!!!

Tapers, Track, Trails and Tacos

Gavin and I at the Marathon Kids kickoff

Yesterday morning was the start of the final two weeks of tapering before the Frankenthon marathon, so we "only" did 17 miles. It was another confidence boosting effort and we ran really well - averaging in the 8:20s while chatting away the miles and dipping down into the 7s for the last few with plenty left in the tank.

It was the start of a hectic day, and I had to rush home after the run to collect everyone and get back downtown for the marathon kids kickoff. I love the concept of this program, which is designed to promote health, fitness and good nutrition in elementary school kids. The idea is that the kids accumulate 26.2 miles running or walking over the course of 6 months, coloring in their progress in 1/4 mile increments on their marathon kids running log, as well as recording each daily serving of fruit or vegetables in their fuel log.

And I have to say, I'm very happy with the nutritional education that Austin ISD has mandated for its schools. Gavin is very clued up on what's a "go" food and what's a "whoa" food. He loves to point out the fast food commercials and tell me "that's junk daddy".

The boy likes his fruit and veggies.

And like I said, I love the concept of the marathon kids program. But the kickoff event was waaaaaay too long. I lost count of the number of sponsors and other VIPs who got up to give speeches, plug their products or "motivate" the kids, but it was a lot.

While Gavin and I waited in the stand, Dylan, Nancy and her dad got to sit down at trackside where Dylan entertained the volunteers with his dancing and antics before finally succumbing to the sandman.

Dylan all danced out

Then the kids got to do a lap of the track (they did it in waves) and Gavin got to pick up his reward goodies (water bottle, stickers, transfers etc etc). He really enjoyed running around the track with me, and I think we're going to have a lot of fun together tracking his miles.

I don't think he's too bothered about attending the kickoff event next year though.

We finally got out of there around 11:30am. I hadn't had a chance to eat anything all morning and my fuel gauge was nearing empty, so we stopped at our local bakery on the way home for some breakfast tacos. Nancy's dad said he didn't want anything, so we picked up enough for everyone else.

They really hit the spot.

Though they also triggered a big fight. Nancy's dad was mad because we got breakfast tacos when he told us he didn't want anything. And he complained he hadn't been fed since breakfast. I guess we should have, er, well I really don't know since after Nancy pointed this out he decided he wasn't going to talk to us anymore.

I bit my tongue. I do that a lot these days.

Fortuitously, that afternoon I was let out (for good behavior) to go meet up with some of my old Monday night trail buddies and explore the private trails of Steiner Ranch. They weren't exactly what I was expecting - I was thinking well-groomed hike-and-bike style pathways. Instead I got technical hilly terrain - 2000ft of climb and descent in the 6 miles we ran. I haven't been on trails in months and it took me a while to find my trail legs, but Erik and I kept up a good pace at the front and attacked those hills - we did it in a little under 10 minute mile pace. I decided that was enough for me, and most of us retired to the pub.

It was a much needed change of scenery, and it was great to catch up with friends I never get to see anymore over a few beers. Thanks Nance for letting me have an afternoon to myself - I promise to return the favor sometime.

After Nancy's dad went to bed we spent Saturday evening watching "Secondhand Lions" with Gavin. It's a great little movie which was filmed in and around Austin. Gavin didn't quite make it the whole way through - he fell asleep cuddling with Nancy, and I ended up carrying him to bed.

It was a super end to the day (and we finished up the movie tonight).

This morning I started the Danish run with 996 miles on the clock for the year. It feels good to finally click over into 4 digits.

Though I have to confess, I'd forgotten all about it until I came to update my blog tonight :-)

Skipping the Light Fandango

There's nothing better for your confidence than stringing together a series of really good runs. Today was another beautiful morning, and I ran 8 pre-dawn miles at a surprisingly relaxed 7:40 clip, dipping down to a sub-7 last mile. It was 53F with crystal clear skies and the dark side of the moon stood out in the heavens. My rhythm was good and I felt I could just keep going indefinitely - if only all runs were like this.

I'm looking around for ideas to pad out my race calendar. One race that's tempting me is the Galveston Mardi Gras marathon in February. It looks like a lot of fun, and Gavin has the day off school the Monday after the race, so we could make a nice weekend of it. The problem is I know my father-in-law wouldn't want to go, which would automatically prevent us from going. On the other hand it's unfair to the boys to deny them these weekend trips that I know they love. Besides, this may be the only kind of vacation we get to do for a good long while.

Oh well, we have some time to decide.

Something a little closer to home in November is the Wild Hare. I could drive up for that one early in the morning, run it and be back home the same day so that's a definite maybe.

I need to do at least one long race before Rocky Raccoon, so another possibility is the 12 or 24 hour "Run like the Wind" race in December. The only problem with that one is that it's a continuous 1k loop, and I'm not sure how many 1k loops I can honestly run without going insane!!!

And finally, two friends of mine are putting on a wedding-themed trail marathon called "Race to the Altar" the day before they get married in March. That one looks like a ton of fun, and I'd love to run it.

I'm sure I'll be signing up for something pretty soon.

23 Enigma

I don't know about the irony of the 23 enigma, but yesterday I ran 23 miles and this morning Gavin and I went to the grocery store and between us we managed to drop an egg (it broke all over the floor), a glass jar of baby food (it shattered) and knock over a display of lunch meat (who the hell puts up a display of lunch meat anyway!!!!).

It's now Sunday night and Gavin is in bed after fighting with me most of the weekend over school work, Dylan is screaming his head off in his crib (a seemingly new phase), my father-in-law has gone to bed mad at us for some unknown reason, and the dog has been outside howling non-stop for the last half hour.

Yeah, it's kinda like that.

But on the other hand, we did get to sit outside and enjoy the most wonderful afternoon, I made a yummy supper of ricotta and spinach stuffed pasta shells, successfully baked a tricky loaf of wholewheat and walnut bread (on the first attempt, no less), and am sitting here sipping my favorite pumpkin ale.

And you really can't be anything but happy on nights like this. Austin is such a wonderful city in the fall - cool mornings, blood red sunrises, warm days and evenings spent with the windows open. I'm just savoring my favorite time of year and enjoying the moment.

And in such surroundings, my running really comes into its own.

Like I said, Saturday was a 23 miler - the number where everything converges, and also the last really long run before the Frankenthon marathon. Clea and I set off at an unusually chilly usual 5am, the 6-7 miles into downtown flew by and before we knew it we were picking up Steve, Meghan and Frank at the rock - we would run with them for the next 12 or so miles.

I quickly fell in with Frank and we started to open it up. We ran up Scenic, took a left on Jackson and headed all the way up to Far West via Bull Creek, Hancock and Balcones before hopping over to the wonderfully leafy Shoal Creek and heading back down South. We got into a great rhythm, and our splits from mile 13 thru 17 were super consistent - 7:58, 7:57, 7:58, 7:58, 7:59.

And I felt like I was coasting. Gotta love that.

We said goodbye to the 3 amigos at 38th, and Clea and I headed left toward Duval to start our Northbound journey. It seemed like we were a long way from home, but I'd mapped this route out beforehand and knew we were right on track.

And as soon as we turned on Duval it began to feel like we were on the home stretch.

We both commented on what a great run this was, and when we hit 51st we opened it up again, running 8:00-8:10 pace from mile 20 thru 23.

It's such a confidence boost to finish a key run so strongly, and we were both elated. We've both overcome obstacles in the last few months to get to this point, and it's very gratifying to see the hard work start to pay off. For me, it's funny to think back on all the hot and humid runs I did this summer (not that long ago), struggling at 11 or 12 miles, my heart not in it.

Of course, the heat (and other factors) played a big part in that, but I think I've also built myself up to peak at just the right time.

I'm also running at the lightest weight I've been in 3 years (145lbs), yet it hasn't taken the edge off my endurance. I credit that to all the cross training I've been doing with the Inside Out series - nice job Bob Harper!!!

This morning we did an 8 mile Danish as a recovery run. I had considered getting up early and doing a double loop, but in the ongoing battle between bed and run, this morning bed won.

I'll call it my reward for a run well done yesterday!!!