Who Put that Branch There?

Yesterday I did a few slow recovery miles by myself at Bull Creek. My legs felt OK but I had some painful heel blisters I'd picked up at the Trail Twister. Nevertheless, it was a beautiful morning as I climbed up to the scenic overlook and I took some time to just sit there for a while watching the world go by - it was very restful.

So tonight I guided my Silicon Lab relay teammates around Ken's. I experimented with taping up the blisters and I must have done a good job because I didn't notice them during the run. I'd planned on taking it easy, but we ended up hitting it hard. As we were tearing around the switchbacks, I heard a meaty thud and a yell from behind. I looked round and James (my fellow Brit) was on the ground with blood streaming from his head. It turns out that he didn't see a tree branch and ran smack into it at full speed. Bill was behind him and saw it all - he gave him 10 points for the fall and a bonus for drawing blood. Luckily he also had a bandanna to help stem the flow.

Once we were all sure that James was alright, the jokes came out. From the standard "congratulations, you're not a novice trail runner anymore" to "there's part of a foreign trail that is forever England". He was a bit unsteady on his feet so we backtracked the switchbacks, walked straight down snot rocks and took the left turn at the bottom to shoot off the trail and into some company's parking lot. We walked alongside 360 for a while until we got back onto the flats that took us back to the dogpark.

They all said they wanted to come back next week for another crack at it, though I think next time we do the switchbacks I'll stand by that branch and shout "DUCK".

Toad in the Hole

Toad in the Hole is a standard old British dish consisting of sausages cooked in a Yorkshire Pudding style batter. It derives its name from it's appearance - once it's cooked the sausages poke up through the batter like..... well, toads in holes.

Unfortunately, like a few old time British dishes it can be a bit bland, so this is my take on it. I've spiced it up with a bit of chili powder for an extra kick, cooked it in an iron skillet and paired it with a balsamic smoky onion gravy. I certainly enjoyed it as a "race reward" supper tonight.

Mark's Iron Skillet Toad in the Hole
(serves 4)
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup milk
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup self rising flour
1 tsp chili powder
1 onion, diced
3 fresh sausages (Italian, Bratwurst etc), uncooked

Preheat the oven to 420

In a small bowl, combine the eggs and milk.
In a medium bowl, combine the flours, salt and chili powder. Slowly add the milk and egg mixture, whisking until smooth, then cover and set aside

Heat a 10" iron skillet. Cut each sausage into 4 pieces and add to the skillet. Cook for about 2 minutes, then add the onion. Continue to cook until the sausage is browned and the onion is soft.
Set aside about 3 tablespoons of the onion to use in the gravy.
Make sure that the sausages are evenly distributed in the skillet, pour the batter over them and put in the oven for 30 minutes or until batter has risen around the sausages and is golden.
Leave to cool for 5 minutes, then divide into quarters and serve.

Balsamic Smoky Onion Gravy
Heat 2 Tbsp canola oil in a medium saucepan and add 1-2 Tbsp all purpose flour. Keep stirring until the flour is incorporated and then add in the onion.
Slowly add 3-4 cups of hot water or beef stock, stirring all the while. If adding water, season with salt to taste. Bring to a boil and add a few drops of balsamic vinegar, liquid smoke and gravy browning (if desired).
Simmer for about 5 minutes until slightly thickened, stirring occasionally.
Pour over toad and enjoy.

Traditional sides include mashed potatoes and a selection of vegetables.

The Life of Bryan

Bliss : John Sharp and myself celebrate completing the 60k by jumping in the Lake

A 3:30am alarm call this morning started my day at the Trail Twister 60k in Bryan, Texas. My mate Jeff and I drove up together and got to the park just after 6am. Having set up our dropbags, I wandered around saying hello to friends. An especially big shout out to my longtime friend (and secret Welshrunner blog reader) Celeste who finished the 30k this morning in a great time. So sorry Nancy couldn't join you.

Chris got us going at 7am and I settled into my favorite little niche just behind the lead pack. Because the 30k and 60k folks were all running the same course (the 60kers ran it twice) I had no idea who I was running against. Of course I ended up chasing a lot of 30kers and probably went out too fast - big shock there.

It wasn't too horribly hot for the first loop, but it was very humid - my shorts were soaked within the first few miles. I had made a promise to myself to do better on my nutrition for this race and in this I failed miserably - I made do with half a packet of sports beans and whatever they had at the aid stations. This is getting to be a real problem I need to fix and I think one solution may be to just carry Spiz in my handheld.

I completed the first 30k in just over 3 hours, but was not looking forward to going back out. The temperature had risen into the upper 80s and a lot of folks decided to drop after one loop. But I had signed on for a 60k and I was determined that was exactly what I was going to do - after all, I have a zero DNF record to defend, this is all good time on feet training, and I haven't run very much trail of late.

I have to say the wheels came off a bit on the second loop and I walked a lot of it. No excuses for that other than my feet felt bruised, I picked up a few blisters, motivation sagged and I was just lazy. One thing I found out was that audiobooks on the ipod do not work for me - they just lull me into the story. What did work was music - in particular the Rolling Stones "Paint it Black" and (somewhat bizarrely) Les Miserables really got me in the groove. I'm sure the sight of me running through the woods while belting out "Do you hear the people sing? Singing a song of angry men" brought a few quizzical looks from passing mountain bikers.

A small aside - Nancy and I have been to see Les Miserables three or four times, and every time she's cried. I always tease her about this, but it's really cute and part of why I love her. I rarely get emotional during a run, but today one of the songs left me with an overwhelming urge to be at home and to give Gavin a big hug and kiss. I'm not too big to admit that I sniffled a little (though only a little mind you). Needless to say, the first thing I did when I got home was to pick up the little Batman and smother him with kisses until he giggled.

Back to reality, about 5 miles from the finish line I had to leap suddenly to avoid (what I think was) a Speckled Kingsnake that was meandering across the trail. From then on, every root or branch was suddenly a slithering demon :-)

As I approached the finish area I spotted Jeff standing by the dropbags. I asked him how he'd gotten back so fast and unfortunately he'd dropped after the first loop. I crossed the finish line in 7:22:35 - a horrible time, but enough for 17th place (41 started the 60k and 28 finished). It's amazing how time is so relative in trail running.

I hung around and socialized at the finish line, clapping runners in as they finished. It wasn't too long before John Sharp came in. He's a super nice guy I first met at Rocky Raccoon and we have a habit of finishing races really close to each other. He's had a tough race schedule this summer, including two 100 milers in the mountains. He had the great idea of celebrating the completion of the 60k by jumping in the lake, so we did. Wow, it felt great.

So Jeff and I headed back to Austin, stopping at McDonalds on the way. I had told him of my tendency to crave Big Macs after ultras, and that planted the idea in his head. Yummy.

Things I learnt from this run - nutrition is something I need to formulate a better plan for - and stick to it. For my best ultras, I've been well prepared beforehand and had some calorie shakes to down between loops, but I've gotten too laid back and lazy. I think the reason I'm so nonchalant is that deep down I know I can complete the 50k to 50 mile distance without too much fuss. While I may get away with this attitude at Sunmart and Bandera, I really need to pay attention to it at Rocky Raccoon. My other experiment with the Drymax "Maximum Protection" socks worked great - my feet stayed dry throughout the race. I didn't have a very good run, but it is what it is - a nice long "time on feet" training run. In that respect it was a good day.

2008/2009 Training Season - Week 6

Saturday 10/4/08
Trail Twister 60k. Done - 7:22:35

Sunday 10/5/08
trail - 6 miles. Ran Ken's by myself - slow recovery run. Sat on a rock at the scenic overlook for a long time and watched the world go by.

Monday 10/6/08
trail - 6 miles. Done - took Silicon teammates around Kens. Watch out for low branches guys!!!

Tuesday 10/7/08
road - hill repeats. Done - felt really good tonight. Did 12 repeats and 1 backwards.

Wednesday 10/8/08
road - hill repeats. Done - went to the hills again tonight. Felt so strong - did 8 forwards and 6 backwards. Felt easy.

Thursday 10/9/08
rest

Friday 10/10/08
Rest

The Joy of Experimentation

Tomorrow's race is all about experimentation ahead of my other big races this winter. I don't remember the last time I ran with music, but I have my ipod loaded up with a number of podcasts, an audiobook and all types of music from Country to Oldies to Hard Rock, Garage, House and even some opera and Les Miserables. We'll see what works - I haven't planned on using pacers for either Bandera or Rocky Raccoon so I may need something to distract me through the night. Hopefully a good audiobook will fit the bill.

I am also going to experiment with the Drymax "maximum protection" socks I have yet to use. I know the rule is to never try something new on race day, but I've never been one to follow rules and I've had good luck with the other Drymax socks. So I'm going to pair those with my Montrail Hardrocks and keep the Balegas in my dropbag for insurance.

One thing I do need to work on is nutrition while running - something I'm really bad at. I never plan for it, I just don't like stopping and really need to force myself to rectify that. I will stuff some sports beans, gu and a few salt tabs in my handheld. That plus whatever they have at the aid stations should see me though - I just need to be more disciplined about eating them. I'm also trying out a new pasta dish this evening - Italian sausage with broad noodles and red peppers in marinara sauce washed down by pumpkin ale. Yum yum - carb load nirvana right there.

In other news, I had the day off today and had a great morning. I visited the Half Price bookstore with Gavin and he was as good as gold. We looked at what I wanted, then spent some time having fun in the kids' section and both came away with stuff. I always love browsing because you can get some great bargains in the clearance section. Today I picked up "Angela's Ashes", "The Liar's Club", "New Orleans Stories", Mickey Spillane's "The Mike Hammer collection" and Sue Grafton's "K is for Killer" - all classic examples of particular genres - for $1 apiece. That lot should keep me busy for a while.

And lastly, Nancy pointed out that today is the 10 year anniversary of the day we first met at the bottom of Lake Travis. I can't believe it's been 10 years - time really does seem to accelerate the older you get. I was 25 when we were first shackled together - how did I get to be this old? I'd better continue to be nice to Gavin or he'll have me shipped off to a nursing home.

I wonder if they'd still let me run :-)

A Series of Unexpected Events

Well, Nancy was supposed to run the Texas Twister 30k trail race in Bryan this weekend while Gavin and myself worked an aid station, but she's sick and the Gavster is a little under the weather too so they're staying home. I've switched her registration to myself and bumped up to the 60k. I think I'm at the point that I could do with a nice long race to get a feel for where I am in my training.

And that also means I get to taper (ie not run) today and tomorrow. Woo hoo!!!