Three Things Thursday: Damn you, Pinterest

I've decided that, unequivocally, recipes found on Pinterest need to come with disclaimers.

Do not attempt this recipe with low-fat or fat-free products - unless you want to fig up the dish.

Directions recommend stirring occasionally but really you need to chain yourself to the stove and stir non-stop to achieve perfect consistency.

The recipe gives a cooking times of four hours, on low, in a slow cooker. The developer, though, forgot to mention that she accidentally set the appliance on high and that's why the lentils were so perfectly cooked.

Twice this week I have been romanced by beautifully photographed dishes and the accompanying recipes and twice this week I have been fooled.

1. The first recipe - Cheesy Chicken Ranch Casserole - seemed like the best of both worlds. It was a dish that would appeal to Mark and Miles but one for which I could improve the nutritional profile. Wheat noodles, low-fat dairy products and the addition broccoli would all help to make it a bit more Kim-friendly. The noodles and broccoli were fine ideas but the non-fat evaporated milk ... not so much. The sauce was supposed to thicken, and mine curdled. I salvaged it as best I could, and Mark declared it a winner but he was ignorant to my troubles and loves anything with pasta and cheese.

2. I was on a cooking binge last weekend - making three different types of muffins, splitting the bounty between my freezer and that of my mother-in-law. I decided to be even nicer and make a hearty soup for the both of us since it has been so dreary. I found a pin for Curried Lentil and Chickpea Stew, which sounded hearty but healthful. The recipe said it made four servings so I doubled the ingredient list and dumped it all in the slow cooker for the prescribed 4 hours on low (there's an additional one hour of cooking time at the end). However, after 6 hours on low and another couple on warm, the lentils were still a bit crunchy. As in not edible. I ended up cooking it for another 1.5 hours on high to get the al dente I was hoping for. I will concede that doubling the recipe might not have helped but the cooking time was definitely off. And one pot definitely makes more than four servings. I have about 20 bowls of this stew after giving my mother-in-law five servings. But it is good.

3. The most successful meal this week, as it turns out, was not from Pinterest but the Thai Kitchen website. I had bought red curry paste for a sweet potato soup recipe and didn't want to leave the jar to dry up in the fridge. The Thai Red Curry was easy, quick and full of vegetables. And it used leftover roast chicken - SCORE. I did brown some tofu, adding a bit of the sauce, for me, and I loved it. As for the boys? Miles promptly spit out the tofu and Mark said it wasn't his favorite but still ate two big bowls.

Curious. Very curious indeed ...

By the way, if you want good Pinterest recipes, Jess recently wrote a post with her favorites.

Spring Training: Week 16

Spring Training posts document my training for my "A" race, the Wisconsin Marathon half, on May 4.

The week, in training:

Monday: 4.5 miles
Tuesday: 3.5 miles (for Boston) +  BODYPUMP (taught)
Wednesday: 6 (birthday) miles
Thursday: Rest
Friday: 6.31 miles
Saturday: BODYPUMP (taught)
Sunday: 11.36 miles

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I don't think it's been a big secret that I've been playing with my fueling these past few months. I've tried Honey Stinger chews (love), Sport Beans (meh) and Clif Shot Bloks in about a million different flavors but all the while I've stuck with chews. I found last year, during Columbus Marathon training, that I couldn't stomach gels. Maybe it was the unbearable heat or changes in my body but my once reliable Gu made me nauseous.

And so it was with great caution that I accepted an invitation from Kevin Sherbourne, the co-founder of Huma Chia Energy Gel, to try his product.

According to the website:

The idea for Hüma was born in the sands of Iraq. In the summer of 2009 a US Army soldier named 1st Lieutenant McCollum was charged with leading grueling missions throughout Iraq. At the time he was reading a book about the Tarahumara, a tribe of Mexican Indians who regularly compete in epic 100+ mile races as part of their culture. To fuel themselves on these ultramarathons, they use a special chia seed blend. He figured if it worked for them in Mexico, maybe it would work for him in Iraq. Hüma brings together Tarahumara tradition, sports nutrition research, healthy ingredients and great taste as our best shot at helping you enjoy your gel. 

Reading that story and learning about the company made it impossible for me to turn down the chance to sample the gels, which come in two flavors - strawberry and apple cinnamon. After all, if I'm putting work to clean up my diet, shouldn't I do the same for the fuel that powers my runs? The ingredients for Huma include fruit, evaporated cane juice, brown rice syrup and chia seeds - a far cry from the long list that you see on other products.

I decided to take one of the gels - strawberry, if you are curious - on my long run Sunday at Chain O'Lakes, along with some Shot Bloks to see how it would work for me. As I said in my post about the Indiana Trail 100, even the roads in the park are hilly and I could feel the toll on my legs early on. I normally fuel at miles 5 and 10, and I was more than ready for a gel once the watched turned over from 4.99 to 5.00.

I stopped cold in my tracks, took a drink of nuun and took out the gel. My hands, cold from the blustery April temperatures, seemed to struggle to tear the foil but once I got the right spot, it opened immediately. I took the first bite(?) a bit apprehensively but was pleasantly surprised once the gel hit my tongue. It tasted just like strawberry jam, with a similar texture is well. It went down very easily and was far less goopy than traditional gels. It could very easily be taken mid-stride if fingers aren't frozen together.

People always talk about this jolt of energy that comes from taking a gel or sports fuel but I'll be honest, I'm not sure I've ever felt that way. More than anything, it just makes me feel like not crapping out. And I didn't crap out with Huma. Same as when I took Shot Bloks at mile 9. (Fueled early because I wanted to delay running up a hill.) But the bonus, which is one of the pros of Huma, is no stomach problems. Not a one. So I literally didn't crap out.

While I don't really think one time is enough to warrant a fair review, I look forward to trying the Apple Cinnamon gel on my run this weekend. A good run will earn it a spot in my SPIbelt for Wisconsin otherwise I'll stick with Margarita Shot Bloks and give the gels a second go as I base-build for my fall marathon. But I sincerely feel like the company - and the product - is one worth supporting.

Have you tried any new fuel lately? What do you take on long runs?

Disclosure: Huma provided me with samples of the gels to try at no charge but all opinions and thoughts are my own.

A long run

The alarm went off at 4:45 and, for a moment, I thought it was a dream. The noise. The beeping. It was all in my head. But as I reached between my two pillows and felt a familiar buzz between my hands, I knew the time had come.

I crawled out of bed quietly and tip-toed down the stairs. I put on my Pearl Izumi running tights (in late April, mind you), a Nike sports bra and my favorite long-sleeve running tee. I grabbed a couple gels, an almond butter sandwich and a water bottle + nuun. Within five minutes, I was out the door.

The roads were dark and lonely, and I cursed myself for not making time for coffee. I wanted something warm. Something to wake me up. Something to wash down the previous night's indulgences.

As I closed in on my destination, I began to see a bounce of lights and the reflection of running gear. The men ran together in amazing cadence and I took a moment to revel in their pace and accomplishment. These men were running strong. Strong after 20 hours and were on their way to a 100-mile victory medal.

As for me? I was on my way to start my volunteer shift at the Indiana Trail 100.

This year was the first time the event was held, and it is the only 100-mile ultra in Indiana. There was also a shorter race - 50 miles. Because 50 miles is obviously a lesser distance. The running store coordinator seriously said, "Yeah, I only did the 50."

The other 50-mile participants were long finished and gone by the time I got there, and it was my job (plus that of two others) to man the main tent and help the runners in anyway possible.

I made lots of coffee, peeled bananas, poured Mountain Dew and ate pretzels - like a boss.

The runners who were coming in were finishing the race - a race that took place in undesirable conditions. The deluge of rain left the trails muddy, wet and even impassable in parts. Coupled with bitter cold - temperatures dipped into the mid-20s overnight - and the runners were at risk for hypothermia and dehydration as one doesn't often drink as much when cold. Runners' shoe laces were frozen and one of the top female finishers, who wore Vibrams, had her socks freeze to the insides of the shoes.

The seriousness of the conditions was never more evident than when paramedics urged us to get out of the way and carried in a girl who could no longer move. She basically stopped dead in her tracks and couldn't take another step. Another guy, a finisher, sprained his ankle at mile 10 and finished the race. The joint was red and inflamed and hurt just to look at.

There wasn't a lot I could do to help some of these people as many had a crew of family and friends who were well-versed in their needs. I just tried to be present and available because, for fig's sake, these people had just ran 100 miles. It gives the term "long run" a whole new meaning.

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When my shift was over, I decided to stick with my definition and headed around the park roads for my last big run before Wisconsin. My plan said 12 but my frozen toes said zero and my mind said, "You woke me up at 4:45 - enough with the confusion."

My journey out into the park took me uphill, which is always a fantastic way to start a long run, and my two-loop plus tangent route was not stingy with the inclines, which sandwiched decent stretches of flat. The "rollers" in my neighborhood are a far cry from what the park had to offer, and I could feel my legs burning as I climbed.

As my body screamed, my mind stayed with those Indiana 100 participants. I'd see one here and there as I ran, and I couldn't imagine trying to tackle the hills after 24 hours of running. They say trail runners and ultrarunners are a different breed and I'd agree. They are a jovial, passionate, less whiny breed of runner to which I need to aspire.