For those that have been rejected, I advise you to think about being a charity runner. I ran the NYC Marathon with Team for Kids and it was a great experience, and recommend to everyone

Entry Number: 468985

We’re sorry, but you were not selected in the ING New York City Marathon 2010 lottery. We appreciate your commitment to running with NYRR, but we must limit the size of the field to make this race safe and enjoyable for participants.

Fortunately, there are still opportunities for you to enter this race and be part of our running community throughout the year.

You can join Team for Kids to gain entry to the November 7 race and benefit from a variety of training programs, online forums and chats, and race-weekend perks. You can register with any of our charity partners to receive exclusive member-only benefits with your race entry and the satisfaction of participating for a cause.

Whether you want to run your fastest 5K or finish a marathon, you can compete nearly every weekend of the year in NYRR races. Our training programs, packages, and online tools are available for runners of all abilities wherever you live and train.

Keep moving toward your goals, and we expect to see you out on the roads!

Sincerely,
New York Road Runners

This year the NYRR have decided to up the ante and are broadcasting the NYC Marathon lottery live April 7th on their website http://www.nyrrvideo.org/lottery Noon ET, 9am PT

I am hopeful that I get in to the race and also interested on how NYRR will run this live lottery. They have had server issues in the past from too many neurotic runners trying to check at once. I hope this works out smoothly

Looking forward to seeing my favorite sign on the marathon course. Always makes me laugh when I see it.

When you run, your hand position is very important. I am not talking about swinging your arms or pumping but what you do with your finger and your hand. I was holding my hand in a fist position and as the running became more intense, especially on hills I would tighten that fist. As you can guess that is the exact opposite of what you need to do.

In an accent that cannot be transcribed to text, our Ethiopian coach explained to me that I need to pretend I am holding a potato chip between my thumb and index finger and make sure it does not break. Yes, imagine you are holding a potato chip when running, it works. I searched the web looking for an image to help and the best I could find was a Cheeto shaped like Jesus, but you still want to hold on to that Jesus cheeto and make sure you do not break him. I think the image works

The neck and shoulder pain went away immediately, but there was also another benefit. I was much more relaxed when I was running and enjoyed running a lot more. Give it a try on your next runs and if you cannot imagine holding the chip try to imagine holding Cheeto Jesus and making sure you keep him intact

I guess this would now be a review of the Heli Pack and am happy to say that this backpack is awesome. The fit of the Heli Pack is pretty snug with all the straps attached and I barely noticed it while on the slopes. I filled the hydration bladder with about 1.5L of water and did not feel it sloshing around at all. The only issue I had was being new to the pack, I spilled some water on my gear as I was a little unsure on how to open and close the spout but got the hang of it as the day went on. It is still not the smoothest spout out there (that award goes to Ultimate Direction) but being on the lift with my poles does not lead to most advantageous positions for drinking. Sorry, one other gripe is that I could not get the hydration pack to stay on the hangar in the bag. It kept slipping down into the pocket of the bag. Not a big deal, but would love to learn how to keep it up there.

This bag holds a lot of stuff and even with some sandwiches, the hydration pack, and extra layer and hat, it felt barely there. One of these days I will use the bag to its full potential and have my shovel in the back, avalanche beacon and bust out the straps so I can carry my skis and hit the backcountry. Once the spring hits I will also be able to use the pack for all day hikes in the mountains, but do not see this as a pack for long runs. A little too heavy and I am still a huge fan of my Ultimate Direction fanny pack.

I ran across this article in Runners World that gives a good rundown of how to come back after a break which I thought I would share. Here are some of the highlights:

START SLOW Runners returning to action often carry extra weight, which puts more stress on the body. To avoid injury caused by that stress, run no more than 20 consecutive minutes for several weeks.

JOIN A GROUP Athletes respond best when they return to a team setting.

RECOVER WELL Run every other day for the first few weeks. Rest days reduce the risk of injuries.

CROSS-TRAIN After a month, gradually change your recovery days from rest only to cross-training days. It will help build your aerobic development without increasing your injury risk.

If you would like to read the whole article you can read it here, it is worth the read http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-238-516–13390-0,00.html

The Clymb is the latest site to jump on the private sale/sample sale bandwagon but their merchandise is different. They sell an amazing array of outdoor, bike and ski/snow brand with one company featured every week and a limited number of products for sale, which usually sells out by the second day. I have ordered two separate items from them and except for a delay in the shipment of one Dakine backpack , I have been very happy with the service and the products they have. The prices are great, maybe a little too good as I have to keep myself from buying something every week.

If you want to check out The Clymb, here is an invite code so you can check it out https://www.theclymb.com/invite-from/JeffreyEckhaus

There is no way most people can look cool wearing something reflective and I think I now have the proof of that with my new hat. The Brooks Nightlife Hat

This hat is comfortable, adjustable, reflective as hell, but kind of ugly. It has high visibility fabric that gives you 360 degrees of visibility and wait for it…….a flashing rear LED light on the back. Now since it is dark out when I am running I am going to go with function over fashion every night and wear this hat. While it will not a fashion award, it will probably save your life so I recommend this hat when running in the dark, which in Seattle at this time of year is 4:30pm – 7:30am. 

One more note – if you are looking for this hat or maybe some other reflective accessories check out this site night-gear.com. They have all sorts of reflective items for sale. 

Presents

“Ready, Set, Go!: A Marathon Prep Course”

hosted by The Department of Orthopaedic Surgery Faculty

Where: NYU Schwarz Hall, 550 1st Avenue (entrance between 32nd and 31st Street-Tisch Hospital Lobby)

When: October 29, 2009, 6 pm Registration , 6:30-9 pm Panel Discussions

What: Join Lewis G. Maharam MD, www.runningworld.com’s Running Doc and former Medical Director of the NYC Marathon, for an evening panel discussion with the faculty of HJD on optimizing your marathon performance, dealing with existing injuries, preventing new injuries and recovering quickly after the marathon.

How: Please email Ana De Jesus, at ana.dejesus@nyumc.org to pre-register or for more information. You may also register half an hour prior to the event. Raffle prizes available to individuals who register.

*******SPECIAL GUEST: Former Marathon World-Record Holder Steve Jones*******

Please post any recommendations in the comments and let me know what your favorites are. I would prefer to spend under $100 for a new rain jacket but if someone can convince me that a certain jacket is incredible I could go up to $101, maybe even more.

I am looking to make the purchase in the next week or two as the weather here in Seattle is starting to turn and need something new. Look forward to my review on the new running rain jacket once I have put some miles on it.

* Mile 1 – A little tight at the start, but a nice first mile. Will never understand why people who are slow and know they are slow must start up front. Mile 1 done in 7:36

* Mile 2 – Starting to feel pretty good. Group spaces out and there is now room to run. Find a nice little pace group to run with.Think everyone in the group has a Garmin, we all beep at the end of Mile 2. Mile 2 7:30

* Mile 3 – Crap, here come the hills and a little wind. About halfway through the climb I realize I may have bit off more than I could chew. Starting to fade. Mile 3 7:55

* Mile 4 – These hills will not let up. As we enter Eastlake there are a couple of hills that are short but lung searing, way too steep for a residential area and the shape I am in. Mile 4 7:52

* Mile 5 – Finally some flat areas and I am starting to kick this engine in. Actually feeling good and chasing some girl with an awesome tattoo on the back of her neck. Mile 5 7:30

* Mile 6 – I may have gone a little too early on my final “kick”. Look to finish this in sub 7:00 but cannot muster the energy. 7:03

Overall this was an awesome race and am very happy to be back in the game. Looking forward to a few more fall races, hopefully a half-marathon

The course map does not indicate the hills involved in this race, which while not lung searing are a pain in the ass.

While in the past I would look to run a sub-40:00 10K, I am hoping I survive this one and run this in under 50:00 minutes.

Lake Union 10K

Now that I am finally back in a running groove I am going to try to fix my form, which sucks. I have had my cadence analyzed a few times and the report is always the same, not enough steps and I am over-striding. This causes performance issues (makes me slow) and can cause injuries.

Now for those who do not know what the issue is, when running your stride rate, the number of times your foot hits the floor should be about 180-190 steps per minute. An easy way to measure this, is time yourself on your next run for one minute and count how many times your left foot hits the ground. The ideal number is 85-95, I am barely hitting 80.

This is a problem of over-striding and I really want to fix it and am looking for help. If anybody has had success in correcting this issue please post your ideas in the comments. I am sure it is an answer many people would be interested in.

Every summer I search high and low for a couple of choice tracks that I always know will easily slip me into the perfect summer mood. Just when I was about to throw in the towel, NPR came rushing to the rescue.

I’d start with the Higga Boom track here and relax into a nice cocktail.

I don’t normally say this, but—Keep the Party Going!

Enjoy

I believe the Ram’s Rest may hold the record for most cases consumed in North America, but we are still waiting for positive confirmation on that one. Stay tuned.

Many of you know may know this as the chicken wine due to the label, and if you do not know it, I would seek it out. For about $8, you will find a pretty good white wine that is real nice in the summer and pretty much all year around. I finally found it in Seattle at QFC for $7 with my advantage card, High Five, and plan on purchasing a case this weekend.

The funny thing is that it’s become an underground phenomenon. People all over have successfully ordered the McGang bang from McDonalds and have documented the experience. Read more at Eat Me Daily.

Copper River Salmon arrives May 15th each year and is known around the world as the best wild salmon available. Something about the cold water and length of the Copper River in Alaska make it delicious, which I am sure you can research if you care to find out the details.

The recession part of this has to do with price. Back in NYC, this salmon usually cost upwards of $40 a pound and in restaurants was a $50+ dish. Well this year due to a recession and a great catch prices are around $30 elsewhere and $20 here in Seattle.
I bought a beautiful 3/4 pound piece this afternoon and this is without a doubt the most delicious salmon I have ever had. This fish is a deep red and melts in your mouth. None of that nuclear orange with the painted white lines you normally see.
I am not sure how long this fish lasts, maybe 30-45 days, so if you see it in our local store, spend the extra $$$ and pick up Copper River Salmon. You will not regret it

Although we excel in all manner of blue collar sports, I can’t say we started the season with high expectations. Well, that has all changed. We managed to hold onto the #1 spot for a long while, only recently ceding it to our nemesis “006″ and our co-conspirators “Wild Turkeys”. This past week we managed to reclaim the #2 spot. We have one more week of league play and think we’re rolling in the semis. Needless to say, we’re focusing our inner Lebowski and drinking plenty of White Russians to get ready for the ultimate showdown. One man, one ball and 10 pins. We’ll keep you posted, but you can check the standings here.

I haven’t written in a few months because I’ve been holed up in my barn working on my 1974 Moto Guzzi Eldorado Police. Doing the Iron Butt is no small challenge, but doing it on a motorcycle that is 35 years old poses additional issues. You need to make sure everything is in perfect order and carry all the spare parts that are otherwise impossible to find. Although I’m a huge motorcycle enthusiast, I’ve never spent much time wrenching so I’ve had a steep learning curve. It’s going well though. I’ll show everyone how it turns out once I’m done…

The reason I was called to action today to write this post is reading the news that Natasha Richardson, the actress was apparently injured in a tragic ski accident and suffered a traumatic brain injury. It is horrible news and hope she is fine and that this does not happen to anybody out there, and the two best methods to avoid this are to ski safely and wear a helmet.

In early April of 2008, when I first purchased my 405, the people at Garmin stated that the software, Garmin Connect, for the 405 was not ready yet for Mac OSX users and would be ready soon. This message quickly changed to Fall of 2008. I was a little confused that Garmin would not make software compatible with a Mac but figured they could do it in 6 months, how hard could this be. Well, Fall of 2008 came and went and still no software for Mac users.

I was hoping that maybe the New Year would bring some good news, and looked at the dedicated Garmin page for Mac and saw a note, “Coming January 2009″. I was starting to get hopeful again until I saw another notice a few days later “Coming Q1 2009″. Are you serious?????

For anyone from Garmin reading this, why are you abandoning your Mac users? A full year, probably more, to make Garmin Connect compatible with Mac’s in not acceptable. Step up and take care of this already. If you are not planning on it then let us know, and if there are delays let us know why?

For a company that states “Garmin is founded on the principles of innovation, convenience, performance, value, and service” you have not lived up to your values.

I wrote a little how to on eHow.com, one of my favorite sites.

Check it out here – How to tie a shoe for runners

My favorite method lacing up a shoe is below, but I do not recommend for running

Click here for Bacon Roll

Let me first start by saying, how amazing all of the Dukes of Flatbush, particularly that guy I call my Husband, was through this whole process. A very sincere thanks to everyone for all of their well wishes, advice and encouragement along the way. And a particular shout out to the lady on First Ave and 96th St who was the ONLY person I didn’t know to call out my name- you will never know how much that helped. THANK-YOU!

I’ve taken a bit of time to write this for a lot of reasons. Partly because I needed to digest what exactly happened in those hours between 5 am and 6 pm on November 2nd, 2008, and partly because I really needed to get some rest! As I mentioned in my pre-marathon post, I was really looking forward to the two-week taper. My body, particularly my right knee and calf, were really giving me hell, and I was in an almost constant state of pain. I sought out the services of an acupuncturist, which helped tremendously, but even still I did not go into Marathon day in top form.

I’ll get this negative stuff out of the way, because as the administrator of this noble blog said- “It’ll be cathartic”. I’ll admit, I was pretty disappointed about not being in top shape on Marathon Day. After 2 + months of training, to be feeling rather questionable about your ability to perform is a bit of a lousy feeling. I didn’t play many team sports as a kid, so maybe this is something everyone else is used to by 32- I am not. I didn’t play through an ankle sprain and kick the winning goal. I didn’t get the MVP for getting two teeth knocked out and staying in the game to score four 3 pointers. I was a cheerleader- I broke my elbow doing a high kick and sat out the rest of the season out. Simply put, I’ve never played through the pain, it’s just not what I do.

OK, that feels better.

So there I was on the Saturday before Marathon Day, with perfect weather (crisp and partly cloudy with high of 50F) to look forward to, and I was a nervous friggin’ wreck about my knee. I went out for a long walk when a friend and fellow Marathoner called to ask how I was feeling. I described myself as the Owner of a Best in Show Contender at the Westminster Dog Show who had to leave Madison Square garden to go get a hotdog because they were too nervous to watch. This training process had done a lot of strange things to my mind, but this was getting out of hand. I was now simultaneously the Best in Breed, the trainer and the Owner. This had to stop!

What was the worst that could happen? “You could do real damage to your knee and wind up in serious trouble, Idiot,” I told myself. OK, fair enough, but really what are we talking about? Collapse in Williamsburg? Ambo in Central Park? I told myself that I could walk if I needed to, and in all honesty, that was fine. “There are plenty of people that walk, it’s not about the time. More importantly, it’s about finishing and raising funds for Jack’s Fund I reminded myself. Well, either the Viszla inside developed language skills or I was being to make sense. Either way, I was calm enough to go home and start the process of unwinding- 5 am does come early.

Per usual, I didn’t sleep much. It was a cold morning, but the spirit of the day most certainly got me out the door and onto the Subway Platform by 6 am. If your listening Mr or Mrs NYC Marathon Logistics Manager Man or Woman, I have to admit, I don’t think the Wave Start plan worked as well as you hoped. There were many, many runners that were in the 10:20 am start that had 5:30 am ferry or 4:30 am bus times. Doesn’t seem that it was the best use of staggered starts to then have people crowding the Staten Island Ferry terminal to stay warm before heading out into the sub 40 degree temp. But, I’m just saying. As I mentioned before, I consider myself a wimp. I know everyone talks about how amazing the Marathon Village is before the race, and how much fun it is to walk around and such, but I was freezing, so I stayed in the Ferry terminal till 8:30 before hoping on the bus to Fort Wadsworth.

Once there, I realized that there was a whole flurry of activity going on, and I clearly was not the only one that was a bag of nerves! People were literally walking in circles, too anxious and cold to sit, but too sore from months of training to move too fast! 9:30 am marked the end of Bag Check and in those few moments before I saw every type of salve, cream, gel you could imagine being applied to any and all body parts. Without shame, I too, joined the Vaseline’d Masses and got myself prepped for the race.

Before I knew it, we were lined up and stripping away our “give away” warm up gear. Without realizing it was really happening we were moving en masse up the platform up to the start line at the base of the bridge. Of course, Bruce Springstein’s Born To Run was playing on the speakers as I crossed over the start line. I chuckled to myself and smiled as I took off up the Verranzano Bridge and looked out over to Manhattan in the distance. I overheard someone say, “Doesn’t it look so far away?”. And strangely to me, it didn’t.

Coming into Brooklyn, I felt great. There was a dull pain in my knee, but it felt manageable. The tightness in my calf had subsided, I felt well rested, my digestive tract co-operated earlier and in all honesty, I felt like I was about to have the run of my life. Once on Fourth Avenue, I could see the Williamsburg Saving and Loan Building in the distance.

I live in Fort Greene, which is just past that at mile 8 so I settled in for an easy cruise up Fourth Ave, knowing that I would get a Dukes Welcome at the end of my block.

And there they were, my Bloody Mary’ed Cheering Section!

Luckily, my Husband brought out the Stick to the end of the road for a bit of mile 8 ITB release.

By this point, I was starting to question that “run of my life” comment. My knee was starting to feel very tight and tender, and each time I flexed my knee back after taking a step, it hurt even more. I slowed down from my 9 minute mile pace to a 9:30 for the next two miles to see where I was at. By mile 10 on Bedford Avenue, I stopped for a few moments to stretch out to see if I could loosen the ITB- it was beginning to feel like a rubber band being snagged on the outside of my knee with each step. No such luck. I stopped at the next Medical Tent to see if they had a Stick- for some reason this made sense to me, but of course they didn’t.

I was only 10 miles in, and here I was contemplating that I might have to serious consider walking for a bit. But walking on my right knee didn’t feel any better. The way I thought about it, it would just take longer and therefore hurt for longer. So I took off on my left leg, and just gently used my right foot to balance myself out. With that first step, I set my mind to running the remaining 16 miles on my left leg. Now I know this sounds insane, and of course it is. But it’s basically what happened. I stopped at two medical tents to have them tape up my knee to keep it from bending too far back, and I went about the business of getting through it.

Just passed seeing another group of friends at mile 14 in Long Island City, the pain was so bad that I stopped, folded over and started to cry. I don’t know if it was the pain, the frustration at my 11 minute pace or what, but I was pissed. All of this training, the resting, the icing, the balanced friggin’ nutrition, the Tetolling- I couldn’t believe it was coming to this. I think I even let out a bit of a Blue Streak- sorry to any kids that may have been nearby. After I few minutes, I got myself back together and got back to the business of the left sided shuffle. If it took me 7 hrs, I was gonna finish this thing.

I had been warned about the 59th St Bridge. With no crowds on either side, and the vibration of the runners pounding the expanse, it can be both daunting and exhilarating I was told.

As I made it up the incline, I got into a bit of a rhythm with the my new left sided gait and I was starting to settle in a bit. Just as I crested the bridge I realized that it truly “all down hill from here”. Not exactly the best thing for someone experiencing ITB pain, but you get the metaphor.

First Ave was pretty unbelievable.

Looking up those 50 or blocks and seeing a river of runners moving up the canyon of skyscrapers is a pretty remarkable site. There are so many spectators at this point too; never before have I felt greeted with such welcome arms to Manhattan. That said; I basically put my head down and wobbled my way up the Avenue, knowing that my Dukes Cheering Section was just 4 miles away.

By the time I got to mile 18, I realized that stopping to stretch was not a good idea; it became increasingly difficult to get started again and was more painful each time. It was also at that point that I realized that despite my difficulties, I was still within shot of my goal of sub 4:30. To do so, I would have to shave about 30 seconds off of my mile pace. One thing that has always been true during my training is that I tend to speed up after I get over the hump and enter the last 3rd of a run. Would that be true this time was the question.

I’ll spare you the grunting, wincing, cursing blow by blow of the last 8 miles, but they were the most intense of my life. The crowds down 5 Avenue and in Central Park were amazing. To each of the crazy spectators with the large “Beer” signs, thank-you for the laughs.

But I think this sign had to be the best-

With one last glance at my husband at the 26 mile mark, I ran those last .2 miles with tears in my eyes and a fullness in my heart that I will hold with me for the rest of my life.

At 4:28: 53, I can now say I know what it feels like to have made my own goal, banged up knee and all.

A week plus later, and I am not quite ready to tackle the pavement just yet. I might go back to Pilates for a bit, maybe even consider taking a Yoga class. I’m waiting for all of the swelling to go down to figure out what to do about my knee. I figure it makes sense to see what is just a result of all that training, and what may or may not be a lasting result before going to see a Doctor. To be honest I don’t want to know yet, I’d rather just bask in the glory for a bit longer.

For me the gold standard of running watches is the Garmin 405 , and was my baseline for comparison and testing for the Accelerator. The first impressions of the watch are that it is a nice fit and of course much smaller than the Garmin. It sits nicely on the wrist and the display is just OK. It could be a little sharper and is probably a level below a Timex Ironman and without the Indiglo feature, so a little tough to read at night, but adequate.

Now lets get to the fuctionality of the Accelerator. My main test of this watch was to see the accuracy of the distance measured against the Garmin 405. For most runners, any watch can tell time and do laps, but the distance measured is the key feature we are looking for. Let me begin by stating I did not really read the manual too well so not sure if I needed to calibrate the watch, but to tell you the truth it did not really matter.

My first run was an easy 4 miler, that wound around Volunteer Park in Seattle. The results were Garmin 4.01 miles, Accelerator 3.98 miles. Not too bad. The second event was a walk around Vancouver BC and the Accelerator and Google Maps both were within 5% of each other. Since I am never sure how accurate Google Maps are, I consider this a win in terms of accuracy. The third and fourth runs were 5 mile runs around Seattle and both times the results were the same. Garmin 5.02 miles, Accelerator 4.97 miles.

So in terms of accuracy, I can say that the Accelerator worked and for a runner that is looking for a general range of distance and is not obsessed like your truly, it is an excellent lower cost alternative to a Garmin. I think the Accelerator is around $70, so compared to $350 for the Garmin, so a pretty good value. The Accelerator has a bunch of other features such as steps, calories burned, dual time and a countdown timer, but I cannot account for how accurate the calories burned works and a timer is a timer and there was no chance I was counting steps.

I will keep the Tech4o in my watch rotation along with the Garmin 405 and a couple of Timex Ironmans

Check out this and only silly door mats at Uncommon Goods.

For my last 20 miler, I ran from the Brooklyn Promenade, across the Brooklyn Bridge, across Wall Street, up the West Side Highway, across Central Park South, and then over to the 59th street bridge. Next, up to Roosevelt Island for a loop, then back over the Pulaski Bridge into Brooklyn for the victory 5 miles back along Kent Ave and the Navy Yard. I thought I might be going insane around mile 18 when inner my monologue turned into a full on debate between three disparate voices- the one telling me to stop- Ms Whiney, the one telling me to get my act together- Ms Tough Gurl, and the one telling Ms Tough Gurl to “DIG DEEP” and “YELL LOUDER”- Ms GET IT DONE. When I end a long training run, I always ask myself if I have the remaining miles to 26.2 in me. As I rounded the corner at the end of that run, I asked myself if I had another 6 in me. Thankfully, Ms GET IT DONE answered, and the response went something like this. “HELLS YES!”

My 16 miler in Tampa, Florida last weekend, while not as entertaining, was quite a feat. Down in Tampa for a wedding, I had to make an early break from the post rehearsal dinner festivities to get some rest for the 8:30am 16 miler the day of the wedding! Who am I? My sister plotted the course for me along the Upper Tampa Bay Trail , which is really something many urbanites don’t see much. 8 miles of paved trail through lush forest, along a canal, with water stops every 1/2 mile- crazy! Even though it was over 85 degrees, that run felt like cake walk to the week before. A bit of soreness around mile 12, but I stretched it out and kept running, it was only 16 miles after all.

Now, I’m all about the recuperation. I’m looking forward to my afternoon dose of Ibuprofen, an easy four mile jog and perhaps an Epson Salt Bath tonight. With my last two big runs behind me and only a 6 on the horizon for this weekend, I’m feeling great.
Oh, yeah, and that 26.2 the week after, but, I got that one- “NO PROBLEM!”

“I wanted to make art that questioned our relationship with animals and the ethics and sustainability of factory farming,” Banksy explains in an official press release. “But it ended up as chicken nuggets singing.”

This gentleman who claimed to be the store owner was fielding questions from a TV reporter and when asked about the hot dogs, said it was very sad, that they were rescue dogs. Ba da bing!

Norther Duke (and key Reach The Beach squad member) Laura passenger pigeoned this report in about her maiden marathon effort this past weekend….RIGHTEOUS!

perfect (adj.): Supremely excellent in quality or nature.

Synonyms: absolute, consummate, faultless, flawless, impeccable, indefectible, unflawed

October in Maine is a tricky thing. Having wed in a record-breaking, torrential rain just under 3 years ago, I knew it was risky to sign up for the Maine Marathon as a first-timer. But as a 40+ year old New Englander, I also knew I could be in for a real treat, and that it was. Clear and cool at 7:45 AM, the weather on the Portland, ME coast was consummately, supremely excellent in nature for the duration of the race. It simply could not be improved upon in any way, and for that I am forever grateful. The course is lovely, winding around the urban inlet of Back Cove for 2 miles, then heading out through the tree-lined streets of the coastal towns of Falmouth and Yarmouth, with a couple of detours for scenic ocean vistas. It’s not too hilly, just enough to be interesting (and nothing like the monsters in Reach the Beach.) The energy of participants was great, the crowds were supportive, and a few spectators pegged me as a first-time marathoner (by my yellow race number) and gave me hearty shout-outs.

My only complaint about the day, aside from the abject misery of the last 4 miles, was the dearth of, ahem, “facilities” for, um, taking care of business, as it were. So, to the organizers of the Maine Marathon, I say: In the name of all that is good and pure in running, for f*ck’s sake, put more port-a-potties on the course!!! Please, just Google the phrase “runner’s diarrhea” and let the results be your guide! I was only two minutes off my target time, and you know why? Because after desperately seeking and running too fast for at least a mile and a half, I finally leapt over a ravine, scaled a stone wall, drew blood on my legs from brambles, found a spot where I was reasonably out of sight of 2,000 people running by on the road, and dug a cat hole so I could finally relieve myself of the pressing burden I had been bearing in my bowels since my last GU shot, then had to scavenge on the decaying forest floor for a reasonable medium for tidying up that wouldn’t leave me itching, chafing, or sprouting mushrooms 17 miles down the road. And once I got back on course, it was at least 3 more miles until the next port-a-pottie. What is *wrong* with you people?!?

There, I said it. I totally recommend this race otherwise, but do beware.

Aside from that one significant complaint, it was all good for the first 16 miles or so. Blue skies, autumn foliage, ocean breezes, great volunteers, adequate water stops. It was heaven. Yes, I started out way too fast, but who cares? I was feeling awesome! Early fall in Maine really can be heaven.

At some point, I slide into Purgatory. The pain creeps in and stays. “OK,” I think, “OK, so this is what the 2nd half feels like. That’s OK. I can take it.” Another mile. And another. That’s OK. I check my stopwatch/heart rate monitor, and although my HR is where it’s been all morning, my mile times are starting to slip. That’s OK. I have a cushion, as long as I don’t have to go on another bushwhacking adventure. I knew 4:05 was ambitious. 4:10 might still be in sight. Another mile. It’s really starting to hurt now. In places I don’t usually notice. In lots of places. In new ways. All at the same time. With every step. In between steps. I’m really tired. I’m really, really so tired, and it hurts so much. I try to find inspiration in my head somewhere. I think of my dad. I start to choke up and can’t breathe well. I change the subject. I pass some spectators, who cheer me on. I look at them and say, “Don’t ever do this.” They laugh.

Somewhere around mile 21, I realize I have been periodically shaking my head violently from side to side like a lunatic, telling myself no, No, NO! I’m not going to stop. I’m not going to walk. I can’t slow down. “Pain is temporary. Regret is forever.” I’m strong. I’ve trained for this. It’s a beautiful day on the coast of Maine, and I’m outside. Look around. Enjoy the scenery. I am going to make it. Another mile. 4:10 is not happening. That’s OK. 4:15 was always my true goal. I can do that. I can do that and I will live. I do not have to stop and walk, in order to live. I will live through running a 4:15 marathon. No, no, no, no, no, I am not going to walk. Just keep going. As the sun has risen in the sky, a few clouds have rolled in to keep it cool and comfortable. The setting is still heaven, but I am in hell.

I hit the wrong button on my stopwatch. I’ve lost my cumulative time. I’m too mentally hopeless to do math at this point, so I have only my heart rate to go by.

Sean meets me at mile 23, to run with me for the last 3 miles. Sweet fancy moses goddamn motherf*cking sh*t jesus mary and shiva this hurts so bad. I say something like that to him. I moan, grunt, complain, plead, groan, and he knows exactly where I’m at because he has done this 5 times. He goads, cajoles, coaches and distracts me toward my goal. Around mile 24 my right butt cheek seizes up, and along with the demented head-shaking I now have an ass-punching tic. I want to stop so badly. Would it be so bad to miss my target time? I feel utterly wretched. But I’m so close. Maybe I can still do it. I hit mile 25 and pick up the pace, but I have nothing left. I am whimpering.

I’ve done some pretty tough sh*t in my life, but never before have I ignored the raging demands of my body to just stop, for such an extended period of time.

Sean leaves me to run the last .2 on my own. “This is all yours,” he says. “You’ve done it. Enjoy it.” Man, am I glad I married that guy.

As I limp across the finish line, I hear my name and town. The race clock says 4:17:something. It doesn’t matter. It’s done. I can finally stop. I stagger through the chute, refuse the space blankets, let them remove my timing chip, bend down to receive the finisher’s medal, and collapse in a heap in Sean’s arms.

My final time is 4:17:00:00. Just 2 minutes off my target. I’m OK with that. I’m finally done, there are no mushrooms sprouting in my underdrawers, and it’s still a perfect day on the coast of Maine.

Let’s focus on the Panzanella.

1 baguette

1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes

1 lb fresh mozzarella

1 red onion

2 cloves minced garlic

Olive Oil for basting

Salt and Pepper to taste

½ cup pesto vinaigrette

This recipe takes the whole bread, tomato and mozzarella salad to new heights by not only combining it with a fresh pesto- balsamic vinaigrette, but get this, you actually grill the bread, mozzarella, onion and tomato first! Basically, the original recipe calls for several tomato, red onion, mozzarella and bread skewers, lightly dressed with olive and garlic, that are grilled, removed from their skewers, and then tossed with the Pesto-balsamic vinaigrette- and let me tell you, it’s really delicious. That said; having suffered through cleaning quite a few grills of molten mozzarella, I’ve come up with a better method to ensure that everything is cooked properly when combined. Moreover, I’ve abandoned the recipe for the vinaigrette and just make it how I like it now – I encourage you to do the same.

Firstly, if you have stale bread, use that. Stale bread toasts better and won’t get soggy like fresh bread does. If you don’t have any “day old” around, try to cube (about 1 ½ inch square) the fresh bread up few hours ahead of when you plan on making the Panzanella- this will let it dry out a bit. Next, key step here, when you are about 5 minutes out from getting started, put your mozzarella in the freezer. I can’t tell you how much it easier it is to cut cold mozzarella. Not only that, but it helps the cheese hold it shape a bit better during the grilling process. Without doing this you could wind up with melted cheese all over the grill!

As far as assembly of the kabobs goes, there is the main point of difference with the original recipe. Rather than combining the ingredients on the skewers, I do a few solely cherry or grape tomatoes, a few red onion kabobs and then combine the bread and mozzarella (cut into 1 inch cubes) on the last few kabobs before lightly dressing them with a bit of minced garlic, salt and pepper and olive oil. By doing this, you can control how much heat each of the ingredients get. Personally, I like the onion and tomatoes to get a bit more charred, so I get those on the grill first while I am putting the bread and mozzarella skewers together.

When making your pesto, use your favorite recipe. Some people use pine nuts, some walnuts, I like crushed red pepper; all that matters is that at the end you add a bit of balsamic vinegar to it and a touch more oil than you normally would to give it a slightly looser consistency. I usually make my pesto in a food processor, but I have done it by hand as well. If you have the time, give it a try- it’s quite sexy.

Once everything is grilled to your liking, remove from the skewers into a large bowl and toss to combine with the 2/3 of the pesto vinaigrette. I plate, and then top each with a bit more vinaigrette, salt and fresh pepper. Yummers!!

In an effort to usher in Autumn, I followed the Panzanella salad with Monkfish and Pancetta kabobs served with roasted butternut squash with fennel and lemon.

They were tasty but lacking some oommf. Next time I might make lemon oil or herb-anise vinaigrette or something to add a bit more acidity to the dish.

I followed that with black figs, with fresh ricotta, lemon sugar and balsamic reduction- sort of a dessert and cheese course in one. While I liked it for being light and fresh, I think next time I’ll combine the lemon sugar with the ricotta in advance with a touch of lemon juice tie those flavors together.

Till next year, goodbye tomatoes. Bring on the squash, figs, apples, pears, and Brussels sprouts!

I have been back from Yosemite for almost a week and trying to re-adjust to “normal” life. Just wanted to share a few photos. I went to Yosemite on September 7th to meet my friend JW and climb for two weeks. C joined us on the 12th for five days as well and we gave JW some time to prepare for his El Capitan (ed: !!!) climb. JW was planning to do the ascent the week of September 22nd with a German climber, Felix. Unfortunately Felix got sick the second day and they had to rappel down from the climb.

JW and I did mostly cragging, which consists of short multipitch climbs. The valley was very dry but the temperatures were perfect and there were not too many tourists. After September 15th there was a large influx of climbers including three very famous climbers. JW could tell you their names; I don’t pay that much attention.

The most noteworthy climb we did was Royal Arches. It’s a famous climb set up in 1931 by a climber staying at the Awanie Hotel. He was convinced that he could find a route up the cliff face to the top. After several failed attempts, and one bout of heat stress, he finally did. The climb is 16 pitches (rope lenths) long and about 2,400 feet high. In 1931, when the climb was first established, it was rated a 5.7. Most climbers today would agree that it is significantly harder. In 1931 the hardest rating was a 5.9, today the hardest routes are rated 5.16d.

JW

Hazard being sweet

JW and I started climbing at 6:00 a.m. in the morning. We climbed non-stop and finished the last pitch of the climb at 9:00 p.m. at night. We bivied on a small but comfortable ledge and the next morning hiked 8 miles up over the ridge by North Dome and then back to Camp 4. We finally arrived back in Camp 4 around 3:00 a.m. and promptly went to the Awanie to celebrate.

Gotta say, that’s a totally serious effort. Arches may not be the most technical, retarded-spiderman climb, but 16 pitches and a night spent on the rock in Yosemite should qualify as righteous in anyone’s book. Rock on with your bad-ass self Hazard & thanks for sharing.

Professional courtesy gripes aside, it’s an excellent article on LeMons – a race that seems to have been designed for the Dukes of Flatbush. The Dukes know a little something about 24 hr contests – stay tuned for future DOFB beater racing supremacy.

With the Tune-up miles locked in, I needed to add two extra miles to the start to meet my 20 mile run requirement for the week. This meant a 5am wake-up, train to 57th street, then the 2.6 run up to the start at 102 st on the East Side for a 7am start. (I know, boo-hoo, but hey, it’s my first marathon and I’ll moan if I want to!) After a bit of a battle with shin splints after an 18 miler to Coney Island last weekend, I will admit, I wasn’t feeling all that strong going into Sunday’s race/ run. I had been slow all week, and just couldn’t seem to get the lead out. I knew it was gonna be another difficult one when I stepped out of the house that morning- it was muggy and already 70 degrees– oh dear.

By the time I arrived at the start after my warm-up, I was already drenched with sweat. The humidity was at 93%, and I was praying for the sky to open up- no such luck. Knowing my body, I resolved to take it slow and just see what running with the crowd felt like, and listen to what my mind and body were doing and just take it nice and easy. After 3 miles I realized I was running a 9:20 mile pace and there wasn’t a darn thing I could do about it- nice and easy was all I had.

Running loops is definitely not my preferred training method. Even though I have a pretty nifty hill mantra (I love hills, I love *%$@*&% hills), I don’t like to have to use it on the same hill again and again- it seems to lose efficacy. That said; round and round the park I went for a good 15 (17.5 for me) miles with all systems pretty much in check. Slow, but in check.

It was at mile 15 that I realized that I must have dropped my 3rd Gel Pack somewhere. Opps! It was also at this moment that I also started to feel really cold. From sweaty to shivering in a matter of seconds. “Why didn’t I eat breakfast this morning?” Fearing a premature introduction to “The Wall”, I assured myself that I was fine, and reminded myself of the “Gel” table just past Columbus Circle at the bottom of the park on Central Park South. “All good, just get around the corner”, I told myself.

Just as I inched around the corner, and felt my head fill with cotton and my feet turn into 100 lb weights, I noticed that the table was empty.

“Well, hello Mr. Wall. So nice to finally meet you in person.” Maybe some good manners might soften the blow, I thought.

And it did. He’s a funny fellow that Mr. Wall. We laughed for a few steps, talking about what a crazy fool I am for taking this on. I should still be in bed, he’s right. Or better yet, glass of wine and a cozy couch. I know it’s only 9:30 am, but I’ve been up for almost 5 hours. TAXI!

We talked for a few more steps as warmth started to return to my arms, and we got near the Gatorade table- oh sweet nectar! “Three more miles, eh?” he asked. And with that, I was off. “What the hell is 3 miles?” was I needed to ask myself.

Just as I hit the 16 mile mark, I looked down and saw the brand of Gel I prefer. “Oh, wouldn’t that be nice,” I thought to myself. Then I thought for a moment and tried to do some math. Surprising how difficult that can be. My last gel was at 10 miles, the park is 6 miles. 10 plus 6 equals…come on Math don’t fail me know- 16! Oh my, it’s my Gel! Without thinking of how dirty NYC truly is (read: Horses in Central Park), I turned around, scooped it up and slurped it down- delicious, yummy, goodness, I love you Gel!

I don’t know if I really needed it or not, but I’m not trying to be a hero. Could I have run this race faster, sure? Should I have eaten breakfast? Yes! Will I run faster than a 9:40 pace on Marathon day? I don’t know. All I do know is that I ran 20 miles this weekend and I met “The Wall”- hopefully they will both be as gentle the next time we meet.

“At the Primm 300 this past weekend, Sal Fish announced the 2008 Baja 1000 would be about 660 miles and follow this route: Ensenada – Ojos Negros – El Condor – La Ponderosa – Rumorosa – Laguna Salada – San Felipe – Azufre wash – Morelia Jct – San Matias – Mike’s Sky Rancho – Valle de Trinidad – Llano Colorado – San Vicente – Santo Tomas – Ojos Negros – Ensenada.”

I spent time in Baja earlier this year and heard from many people that loop races might be a thing of the past. This speculation was largely based on the growing popularity of the race, both in the number of entrants and worldwide media attention. A loop race (Ensenada to Ensenada) only benefits businesses in the North, while a point-to-point race (Ensenada to Cabo San Lucas) spreads the wealth. A point-to-point race is more dramatic and highlights Cabo which is the biggest tourist draw on the whole peninsula.

If this rumor holds true, it seems loop races are still in the mix, but the most shocking thing is the distance. That’s almost half the mileage of last year! If that proves true, my guess is that the course would be insanely technical.

If anyone hears anything else, please post a comment…

Surely world domination is the next logical step & I’d like to get out early and on message; I salute our new Pepper Overlords.

If you’ve never been to Coney you should make a trip ASAP. Those pernicious developers have their clutches on it and it’s fair to say that the next few years will likely yield a much different place. The result may be a more dynamic, vibrant and “safe” destination, but there are many amongst us who delight in the old, some what dilapidated carnie-hollow that Coney Island is today.

With that in mind, 5 of us headed out early Saturday for one of my favorite long runs. It’s a flat and easy 16 miles RT to Coney Island from Prospect Park and the payoff on this one is awesome. I mean, how many runs in NY involve a old-time carnival boardwalk??

A couple of those on-board have looming marathons in their sights; the White Witch is running NYC and All Business has the Philadelphia on deck. So I expect it was particularly encouraging to both of them that the distance felt so easy….especially one week after Reach the Beach. Just one of those magic days where the temperature is perfect, all systems check out, and the miles disappear in the rear view mirror with unusual ease.

My Esteemed Dukes,

It is with great honor and sense of obligation that I have joined your exalted ranks. As a sign of my good faith and dedication, immediately upon returning to my native lands I set about a conquest to claim lands for the ever expanding Flatbush empire to the north. I am pleased to report that the summit of Mt. Katahdin was claimed for the Dukes as well as all territory visible from its summit (see attached picture). All vassals encountered upon the way were made to grovel before the Flatbush flag, and I would have dispatched any Los Compadres encountered, but I am sad to report that none were spotted. Becoming hungry during our expedition, I hunted down one of Maine’s alpine parakeets with my bare hands. My trusty assistant is seen in the second picture holding our substantial feast immediately prior to roasting.

For the glory of the empire!

Res Firma Nitescere Nescit

-The Duke of the North

Right on. Right on.

With body and mind still recovering from the Reach the Beach juggernaut, I can assure you that there has been no shortage of wine consumed in our house this week.  Ran into a delicious little gem acquired from the NH State liquor store on the way back down and thought I’d share.  I normally shy away from any vineyard that aligns itself with the “new school”, or relies on cheeky names and such.  Generally I find their wines sub-par and the approach ill conceived.  Yeah, I’ve suffered through more than my fair share of sharp tannins and unbalanced ho-ha garbage at the hands of Bonny Dune Vineyards.

But every now and then I take a gamble, and the purchase of a bottle of Ro Sham Bo Winery’s Reverend Zin paid off.  Granted it’s primarily Dry Creek, which is known for some excellent Zins, but this is a damn tasty bottle of wine.  Nice fruit, tanins and and full bodied without going overboard. It puts me in mind of another favorite Zin  – Renwood’s Jack Rabbit Flats.   Anyway, if you dig Zins, check it out.  And I must say, the Ro Sham Bo folks seems to have a delightfully zaney approach to their craft to boot.   The Dukes may just have to make a trip to the left coast to take in the annual Rock, Paper, Scissors tournament next year…

I have four Jalapeno pepper plants that produce around 40 peppers every two weeks. With the help of a friend, we put up five jars of pickled jalapeno slices the other weekend. The jalapenos are ridiculously fresh having been picked moments earlier. Can’t wait to introduce these little fellers to St. Peter…

Knowing that 2 days of running would put those blisters through the paces, I invested in a box of Dr. Scholl’s Blister Treatment Pads in hopes of protecting the now open blisters from getting rubbed raw and terrorizing my every step. While the box promises they will stay in place for up to a week and goes on and on about how you are going to have to soak with water water to remove, I can assure you these suckers can barely hang on for three miles, let alone a few hours!

In all fairness, while they were in place, they definitely provided a much needed cushion between the open wound and my sock, making it much easier to run than if there was nothing there at all. Further, I know it’s not totally fair to put these things up to such a challenge as a 208 mile over night relay race as a product review, but seriously. At almost $1 per pad, they should stay on for at least a few miles. Unfortunately, for all they promise-

* Helps heal and prevent blisters
* Stays comfortably in place
* Thin and flexible to conform to the heel and other areas of the foot
* Sterilized for safe use on open blisters
* Nearly invisible
* Water-resistant

I think they only thing they succeed at is being sterile, which while in an overnight endurance race (read: no shower) is very useful in treating wounds.

So, the search continues for a comfortable blister treatment. Until then, I guess it’s back to a sterile pad and moleskin for me.

Go Dukes!

Big props to the team that brought it home this year: Birch, Fayth, Laura, Sean, Christina, Steph, Kevin, Jennifer, Jon, Kristin, yours truly and the indefatigable team leader, Chad. Additional posts will follow that document the amazing stories that happened along the way, but it was an epic journey and I couldn’t have been happier to share it with my fellow Dukes. We killed it.

Seems that all members are in solid shape and are ready for a night of rest and relaxation. Good luck winding down tonight and hopefully everyone’s belly survives the night after consuming an unimaginable number of GU’s.

Yours truly is now signing off and ready for a nap and then prepare my trip back to the East Coast for the celebration party next weekend.

For you reading pleasure, here are some snippets of what I have been able to decode thus far:

• Christina is 1.5M into a 4 miler and then Fayth drops the hammer
• Fifi’s email is Gaylord
• GJ just muscled through a mean 5.5M, exhausted from death duel with dragon last night
• No one can fathom simple arithmetic even with chisem bob maneuvers
• Sean just tried to take a bite out of another runner
• Midge thinking he has carrot cake
• GJ is thinking he is the reincarnated emperor of the Lesser Antilles

I think the notes above really say it all

It all started (well, at least the second group of legs started) when Van Flatbush roused at 2:30a after a brief nap. A couple bowls of Cheerios later, we were on the road as the fog briefly lifted to reveal a gorgeous moon rising over the Hampshire hills.

Duke Steph, who was to lead the Flatbush charge, had suffered a race-ending stress injury to her right shin during her first leg.(This next section has been removed to protect the innocent, we shall accept it and move on. Nothing to see here)

The Captain got off to a smooth start and covered the 5.5 in just over 8-min miles. Jenn then took the baton for what is certainly the most difficult leg of the entire relay — 9.1 miles with a grueling uphill first 6. Jenn’s a kicker, though, and with a smile on her face she crested her last hill to the deserving sight of a rising sun through the mist, pink streams of light poking gently from behind the clouds. She’s our Van Flatbush MVP, for shizzle.

John took the torch as the day truly broke, knocking out 7.1 in just over 58 ticks, despite a strong desire to pull over and throw down seven hunnie for a sweet motor boat with 80 horses in the rear…would look mighty sweet in the Shelter Island waters…

Kristin threw down a speedy 5.5 in 44, gaining on other teams left and right. The New Guy then came back with a take-no-prisoners promise, laying down a straight 10k in 51:44 despite only a brief reprieve from the unexpected 5.5 pickup.

Kevin brought us home for this set, storming a number of hills on a 7.1 in a low 56:00. He had earned the home stretch on his leg, cruising down a tree-lined street over smooth blacktop for the transition back to Birch and Van Dukes.

To suggest that the Dukes are killing it on their virgin RTB outing would be an understatement on the scale of Kaiser Sose having a limp (who, incidentally, we spotted in the back of a truck just outside the township of Sandwich).

Birch live and direct:
Apparently Charlie does surf, the squad is duct taped together and the The Stick is in use. One person has resorted to a marble rolling pin as their stick has evaporated due to overuse.The papier mache designs on the vans have been destroyed and the sun is starting to come up and baking the place.

The next few sentences came through garbled but I can tell you there was a story about queuing up for food and then being denied as their turn came up. A sad story but one of the harsh realities of Reach The Beach.

For all of you in the GJ fan club, I spoke to him, he is doing well and cannot wait to soak in a barrel of beer, or was it drink a barrel.

The two posts below come from Birch and Jon 9. The confidence is oozing, and the team seems to relish the night, but the spelling seems to deteriorate.

Birch writes in at 4:20am ET
Christina just came steaming in and fifi is on the course with a 4am start. I’ve een the white witch do alotta things at 4am before but I can promise you it’s never involved running except perhaps from the law or to afterhours!!!

Strong finish to christina who got a little more than she bargained for with the inky-black darkness and nh wilds on all sides…..strong stuff for a city-lady.

Temp is droping but Van Dukes is ON-ON and holding down the graveyard shift with aplomb.

Then Jon 9 comes back at 5:30am ET
Smooth transition at checkpoint two. Rain done moon shinin warmin up by the minute. 526 am sun about to come up. Super jenn 2.5 into a 9+ mostly uphill. Lookin forward to a sunrise 10K..

Here are the last two notices via carrier pigeon from Birch as they are truly experiencing the New Hampshire motto of Live Free or Die

Pigeon 1 reports:
Van dukes just completed first leg of our second tour….night vision gear met deffensive reqirements. …charlie everywhere but avoided thus far. I turned in a fast 3.8 w/ sub sevens and a serious rumble in the belly jungle. Maybe the steak sammy and fries at horsefeathers was not my secret weapon after all?

Van duke logged one hour of rack time at HQ before suiting up for second shift. We should be seeing the bats soon; a savage journey to the heart of the endrance dream. What ever happened to the days when we just got a sixer to enertain ourselves on a friday night?

Laura layin down the beats on da streets as we speakz.

DOFB makin it look mean; over’n'out!

Pigeon 2 reports two hours later:
So a note about horrible. Gj is half way into what can only be described as a seething, smoke belching mean motherfuckin collection of runner-consuming hills. 7 miles of hell; the spines of a dragon is the only explination.

We shall name this leg Fanfir – consumer of dreams and hope. God speed johnson. Oof.

Rain starting to pick up. Just in time for my leg! Hopscotching every mile to keep an eye on Jenn. Exactly how many creepy cemetaries are there in NH??

Birch reports:

Fayth on target and totally kitted out with flashing vest, headlamp and all manner of sexy-tron action. Not slowing her down though—she’ motoring. The end of her leg marks the van transition and where our van-o (van Duke) will hand off running duties to the earstwhile and (hopefully) well rested Van Flatbush.

Weather is overcast b ut an excellent operating temperature. Comraderie is equally awesome…300+ teams, so nearly 600 white rental vans all decked out with wild shit painted on them, stuff like giant flip-flops wired to them …..duudes in cow suits, women in fake moustaches and tuxedo shirts…… Cats and dogs living in harmony. Sweet swet beautiful anarchy.

Photo transmition incomming after van transition. By the wat – christina smooooked her leg!

This time we have two updates from Dukes of Flatbush Chad and then Birch:

Van Flatbush reporting from Chocorua HQ. Team members enjoying brief reprieve from van travel, resting and fueling legs, eagerly anticipating rendezvous with Van Dukes (in approx two hours) and our first leg. The running gods are shining on us for this one, kids. At 10:45p tonight our team captain will pickup the baton less than a mile and a half from HQ, allowing much-needed mid night rest and recharge for the entire contingent. The Dukes will kill it out there!

Laura pulled into TA 2 dead on her predicted 9 mile pace and looking like she had more in the tank….leg two complete and the van stink is commin on like a pro squad……laura finished at 3:40 and now sean about to steam into ta 3 and make the handoff to gj. For record – sean is scalded-dog fast..

First leg completed in 53 minutes…7.8 miles. Laura almost at halfway point of her 8 mile second leg. Weathered has cleared a bit…not raining and good.
This effin rules. More laughs, suffering and fart jokes to follow

Birch off and running at an amazing start line. Chilly and light drizzle but spirits are high and overall vibe super cool (ed. note: Hippies). Van Dukes en route to first checkpoint.

Our first missive is from Chad, the new guy as our team from NYC travels in a van that I believe is pictured on the right

Dukes converging on Chocorua from all points. The Portland, ME contingent reports successful pick-up of 12 pax van, currently employing evasive ‘loose moose’ measures in the hampshire countryside. Meanwhile, the NYC contingent is packed shoulder to shoulder in a 15 pax trolley that has more vibrating action than a quarters bed in an hourly roadside motel. Are we running coal fired under the hood or is it the consequence of four different tread patterns on our radials? We may have to detour to our Goodyear friends over at New Hampshire Int’l Raceway for a mount and balance. Heh, heh. Mount and balance.

I had never been to this restaurant before, but had heard exceptional things about the pork that flowed freely from the kitchen. I can tell you that they did not dissapoint.

We started off with a few different plates of thinly sliced ham and crusty bread, accompanied by a sauce that I mistakenly took for mustard. A closer inspection revealed it was mayonnaise cut with Sriracha and Red Eye gravy (coffee, pan drippings). Really interesting and quite tasty. The ham was bolstered by a few orders of lardo which is cured strips of pig fat. It’s a fairly subtle dish and a little unnerving. It’s not something I’d order every day, but I found it quite satisfying. Next was crispy lamb belly. I am a huge devotee of lamb and can honestly say that I have never tasted anything quite so “lamby”. Baaaaa humbug. But on to the main attractions.

Ssam means “anything wrapped” and one of the stand out items on the menu is a pork bun, essentially a flour pancake filled with braised pork belly, topped with a few dabs of Sriracha.

I can’t say I have tasted anything so good this entire year. I can see myself visiting this restaurant time and time again, slipping in for a few pork buns and a glass of wine. It’s pure magic.

But on to the main event. My friend had called the restaurant exactly one month before to get a reservation required for Bo Ssam. They have a 5:00, 6:30 and 11:00 seating every day for this special meal. But what is Bo Ssam? It’s a 6 lb pork butt that has been cooked for 10 hours. You shred the pork at the table, place it in a lettuce leaf, top with a fresh shucked oyster and your choice of accompaniments like rice and kimchi.

Although I had already eaten a great deal of swine, I managed to scarf down six of these delicious little packages. I found it equal to the pork bun in flavor, but it was a lot of fun to sit around a table and eat a communal dish.

I hard heard about Momofuku Ssam from a number of friends, but somehow it slipped off my radar. Don’t let this happen to you. If you like pork, get yourself over there and enjoy the fruits of their labor. You won’t regret it.

Supported by our trusty west-coast Mission Control, we’ll be doing our damndest to live blog the effort. Expect up-to-the hour reports with all the latest on conditions, DOFB feats of strength, churlish rants and NIST certified chafe ratings.  So check here early and often, and keep your fingers crossed for our intrepid squad of running reprobates.

9/9 RTB Update
9/8 RTB Update
9/3 RTB Update
8/20 RTB Update
8/15 RTB Update
8/6 RTB Update

Having recently had our doors blown off by them on back to back nights at APW, I can’t tell you how thrilled I was to stumble on the free podcast made available by NPR’s awesome All Songs Considered through iTunes. It’s from the last show of the tour at the Santa Barbara Bowl and it’s fuerte.

If you don’t have iTunes you can also stream it through the link on the afore-linked article page. Serious thanks Bob, who appreciated this show as much as we did, to the rest of the NPR/ASC team and to Radiohead for agreeing to make it available. Made my day.

The base of my stuffing is sausage – sweet italian, hot italian or a mixture of the two. I then add breadcrumbs, parsley, red onion, parmesan, salt, pepper and an egg yolk to bind the mixture. A lot of recipes call for grated zucchini or squash, and you can experiment with herbs – a little rosemary works well. I can’t say there are particular ratios – add what you like, in the amount you like, just make sure it accents the sausage.

Now on to the vessel. I usually use green peppers, but there’s no reason you couldn’t mix it up – red, yellow, orange, purple, poblano or cubanelle. Just make sure they are firm, which denotes freshness. Cut them lengthwise and remove the stem, seeds and ribs. Stuff them so they have a mound on top – just like so.

Put them in a 350 degree oven for an hour or until they are browned. Serve immediately.

For those who may be in NH and inclined to come out and witness a spectacle, the Dukes are slotted for a 1:20pm Friday start and expect to finish on the coast sometime around 6 the following evening. Check out the course info for the nearest segment of the route & and do come out to properly heckle the teams.

———

In totally unrelated 24 hr racing news, I recently came across another race that would likely appeal to a number of us – the 24 Hours of LeMons:

Each LeMons race is for cars purchased, fixed up, and track-prepped for a total of 500 dollars or less. But before reaching the grid, you’ll have to survive trials like the Personal-Injury-Lawyer Anti-Slalom, the Marxist-Valet Parking Challenge, and the Wide Open Throttle Rodthrowapalooza. Twelve hours into the race, the car voted People’s Choice is called in and awarded a cash prize; simultaneously, the car voted People’s Curse is called in and summarily destroyed. At the end of 24 hours, a gala awards ceremony plies the survivors with trophies, plaques, and four-figure purses in canvas bags full of nickels. What’s not to like?

This video of what happens to a cheater’s car is not to be missed – genius. We’ve already missed the East Coast season’s races, but I suspect you’ll be seeing a menacing DOFB beater entered in the years to come.

Either way it’s going to be an epic affair. Shit – the Dukes are like the postman….come rain, sleet or snow – we’ll get ‘er done. Stay tuned for more countdown info and live blogging of what’s bound to be an awesome [read: hilarious] effort.

The Climb: 4,167 feet (1,270 meters)

Distance: 4 miles from the parking lot to the summit plateau.

Vertical elevation change is about 3700 feet and starts at about 700 feet.

I had received warning from locals that the Mount Si trail gets extremely crowded as it is one of the best hikes close to Seattle and not to expect the place to myself. Luckily the locals were wrong and Mount Si was not empty, but the track was not packed and everyone moved off the trail to let my pass as I half sprinted up.
The dash to the top was great as the trail is somewhat narrow, but steep with a lot of switchbacks. As I got to the top I was a little worried about the clouds, but as you can see from the pics below, the clouds threatened but then cleared as I got to the top of Mount Si.
Overall this is a great hike and a little challenging up and down. 4 miles up is not too bad , but the 4 miles down are harder than you think and legs got a little soft for the last 1/2 mile.

The Jack H Marston II Melanoma Fund (Jack’s Marathon Team) has 6 guaranteed entries available for anyone interested in running in the ING New York City Marathon 2008.

For details or to register please visit www.jacksfund.org/jmt_wmm.htm by August 29. Or contact Amy@jacksfund.org

Join Jack’s Marathon Team and help fight melanoma every step of the way. Donations received through Jack’s Marathon Team fund vital research and awareness programs.
Please note: The fundraising goal has been lowered to $1000.

Amy Saletta
amy@jacksfund.org

• Tight as dicks hatband
• His front porch light is burnt out
• Old as dirt
• Full as a tick
• So good it’ll make you smack yo mama
• He’s all hat – no cattle
• You’re like the dog that caught the car
• Country as a churn
• Lower than a snake’s belly
• Prettier than a picture
• Hotter than a $2 pistol
• Colder than a well diggers ass
• Quieter than a graveyard
• Sneakier/meaner than a snake
• She’s seen better days
• He’s higher than a kite
• He’s uglier than a mud fence
• That’s smoother than a spanked baby’s butt
• Like water off a duck’s back
• He’s livin high on the hawg
• Faster than a scalded dog
• Slicker than snot
• Uglier than homemade sin
• Like a bat outta hell
• Sick as a dog
• One foot in the grave
• Skinny as a rail
• He’s wrapped too tight
• Long dip in the ugly pond
• She came down the road like a Tennessee Walker
• Dressed like a Philadelphia lawyer
• Nervous as a cat in a room full of rockers
• Grinning like a mule eating briars
• Grinning like a possum eating persimmons
• He’s as crooked as a dog’s hind leg
• He was caught with his pants down
• She just flew off the handle
• I got the short end of the stick
• He went hog wild
• We always go to bed with the chickens
• He went after it whole hog
• I’ve got no axe to grind
• I’ve got no dog in this fight
• Holler like a stuck pig
• I haven’t see you in a coon’s age
• He just sits there like a bump on a log
• They’re like two peas in a pod
• Scarce as hen’s teeth
• You’re a sight for sore eyes
• Two shakes of a lamb’s tail
• He’s playing possum
• She’s a spring chicken
• That’s the fly in the ointment
• Deader than a door nail
• He could go bear hunting with a switch
• That’s better than a sharp stick in the eye
• Gooder’n snuff and not half as dusty
• He won’t hit a lick at a snake
• He’s got a tough row to hoe
• I didn’t just fall off a turnip truck
• I don’t know her from Adam’s house cat
• That kid ain’t knee high to a grasshopper
• That dog won’t hunt
• Sure as a cat has a climbing gear
• Slower than molasses
• She’s so poor she ain’t got two nickels to rub together
• Runnin around like a chicken with his head cut off
• Rode hard and put up wet
• That’s right as rain
• It was so good it would bring tears to a glass eye
• So ugly she could snag lightning
• Your butt would make her a Sunday face
• Useless as teats on a hog
• He’s dumb as a sack full of hammers
• He looks like he got beat with a ugly stick
• You look like something the cat drug in
• You’re not worth the gunpowder it’ll take to blow you away
• Cute as a bug’s ear
• He lives in your neck of the woods
• He couldn’t find his way out of a paper bag
• I wouldn’t touch that with a 10 foot pole
• I’m gonna tan your hide
• It’s as hot as blue blazes
• Long as a month of Sundays
• Slow as Christmas
• Left like a herd of turtles
• Finer than frog hair
• Green as a gourd
• Less chance than a snowball in Hell
• He’s 3 sheets in the wind
• Gooder than grits
• Pretty as a speckled pup
• Crazy as a bed bug
• I love you a bushel and a peck
• He’s gone to hell in a hand basket
• She treats me like a red headed step child
• That politician is so crooked he can hide behind a corkscrew
• He doesn’t know shit from shinola
• She thinks her shit don’t stink
• He doesn’t have a pot to pee in
• Up shit creek without a paddle
• I’ll be there if the Lord’s willing and the creeks don’t rise
• Madder than an old wet hen
• Crazy as a shithouse rat
• Bless yore pea pickin heart
• Fit as a fiddle
• Were you raised in a pig pen?
• Were you raised in a barn?
• He looks like he stepped out of a bandbox
• Act like you’ve got some raisin.
• High as a Georgia pine
• He can’t carry a tune in a bucket
• You go around your elbow to get to your thumb
• She’s tighter than the skin on a grape
• She’s so tight she squeaks
• He’s wound tighter than a Gibson Guitar
• What in the Sam Hill are you doing?
• Scratch your mad place and get glad
• Busier than a one armed paper hanger
• She looks like death warmed over
• She don’t have the sense God gave a gopher
• That would make a train take a dirt road
• That’s water over the dam
• In your life, you’ve got to eat a peck of dirt
• You’re barking up the wrong tree
• Don’t bite off more than you can chew
• Don’t count your chickens until they hatch
• Don’t let the tail wag the dog
• Don’t let your mouth overload your arse
• Either fish or cut bait
• Even a blind hog find an acorn now and then
• Don’t go off half-cocked
• Don’t get your feathers ruffled
• Don’t get too big for your britches
• Don’t flog a dead horse
• Birds of a feather flock together
• If you lie down with dogs, you’ll get up with fleas
• You’re trying to push a rope
• You can’t get blood from a turnip
• Now that’s the pot calling the kettle black
• Misery loves company
• You can’t tell nobody nothing that hasn’t never been nowhere
• No skin off my nose
• Whatta you mean ‘Fair”….the fair comes in the fall
• He’s livin in High cotton
• Well, shut my mouth
• Hold your horses
• Ridden hard and hung up wet
• She looked like death eating a cracker

It may be the oldest trick in the book, but I love cutting a hole in bread and grilling it along with an egg to make a “bird nest”. Always a crowd pleaser.

I also tried something new – habanero infused rice. You take an unripe habanero which I imagine is difficult to find. I just happen to have about 50 right now in Peppertown USA. They are so fresh they appear to be fake…

You take the unripe habanero and drop it in boiling water along with the rice. At the end of the cooking process, the habanero will look as if its been stewed – it will have lost all of its firmness.

If the habanero ruptures during the process, you have to throw the rice out unless you want serious, serious heat. This recipe imparts a little heat, but largely adds a smoky flavor to the rice. When I cook this again, I’ll probably add another pepper for a more pronounced flavor. I served the rice along with some quesadillas that included fresh jalapenos from the garden.

I did a quick harvest before I left to come back to NYC – here’s the bounty.

I gave a friend a bag of those cherry tomatoes which he quickly used in a Summer Harvest Pasta. He roasted the tomatoes along with brussel sprouts, then tossed with bacon and shallots in a vinaigrette. Looks amazing…

I’m headed back out for Labor Day – more food porn to come!

At a gorgeous beach enjoying the many splendid fruits of the Shambaugh Victory Garden and it’s subsidiary Peppertown USA. I have been harvesting a lot of vegetables and herbs, wanted to share the food “pron”.

First, feast your eyes on the first pepper harvest:

This is a decent amount of action, akin to backseat groping, but is only a harbinger of things to come. Here’ the score. The jalapenos have been the fastest and the most prolific plants by far. I have 4 plants and was able to harvest around 50 peppers out of the gate. The largest of the plants has around 25 peppers on it at a time. The bell peppers are off to a slow start, but I picked a bunch of green ones to jump start production. Humans recommend that you pick the early fruits of a pepper plant in order to encourage more production. Bell Pepper plants produce around 3-4 peppers per plant at a time, and I have 10 plants. About to get funky with a capital P. I only have one Poblano plant, but it’s sprawling, halfway to a tomato plant, used a cage for support. The Cayenne peppers are just beginning to change color, not sure how long that process takes, but I think I’ll have around 30 peppers soon. The Cubanelle (sweet) are prolific, but not too large yet. And that red guy in that shiny silver pan is a Habanero. We have around 20 that are about ready to pop. I have 4 plants and it’s gonna be a bumper crop of napalm.

What to do with all of these peppers?

The first thing we did was follow a recent Gourmet recipe for Jalapeno Poppers.The fresh jalapenos from the garden are much hotter than store bought variety and not nearly as waxy. This is good eating – great with a beer on a hot summer day.

We made a quick tomato sauce using bell and jalapeno peppers. Perfect over linguine.

We harvested green beans and cooked them simply with shallots and garlic.

We spiced up my favorite potato recipe with jalapenos and pepper jack cheese. Added a great NY strip rubbed with a Montreal steak spice.

The heirloom tomatoes are pop-and-locking across 6 basil plants that have gone into hyperdrive.

Birch made an epic caprese salad this past weekend.

We made 10 batches of pesto – third no butter, third with butter, third with sundried tomato. Here’s the no butter, made especially chunky for a tuna steak cooked later that night.

To honor all of this great food courtesy of the Shambaugh Victory Garden, I built a new leaf compost enclosure to help fuel future efforts.

That’s my first installment. More summer vacation food porn to come…

This evening one-third of Dukes: Team RTB took to the streets and bridle paths of Central Park for an evening jaunt. The run is of special significance because it marks two team members’ foray into an elite RTB training regimen; for our very own Stephanie and Kristin, it was their third run in 24 hours. They managed 6 last night, 5.5 this morning and capped it off with 4 tonight. Now that’s impressive! Meanwhile, reports suggest that Duke MFP has been knocking out two-a-days while Laura has been putting in 20+ mile days. And speed-demon Sean’s team The Chipmen rocked the Vermont 100 on 100 last Friday in a blistering 6:34 team pace, winning the Masters age group. Team Dukes will not be stopped!

RTB Training Tips:
*from now until race week, work in at least one two-a-day every week w/ 6+ mile legs
*train for your night leg: start wearing your headlamp or carrying a small flashlight on a long run each week (even if it’s a day run)
*if you don’t already own two new-ish pair of sneaks, get them; you’ll want to rotate shoes across your legs to prevent shin splints and other injuries

Still Life With Yellow Heirloom & Green Habenero. You don’t get much of a feel for the scale of this monster, but I’d put it at well over 1.5lb, maybe 2.

First cuts – and the inside looks perfect. Sometimes it’s hard to tell with the larger heirloom varietals. They can be rather persnickety; appearing ripe only to yield an unripe or, worse, rotten center. It also doesn’t necessarily help that they have such medical-wonder proportions, one lobe can be ideal and another not quite there yet. But this puppy was showing red tasty scrumptiousness across the board.

Fully butchered and being carefully watched over by a tasty glass of rose.

We figured best to enjoy this rite of season as a caprese salad w/ fresh basil from the garden and some lovely Burrata. i was introduced to Buratta not days before by our local cheese monger at the Green Grape’s new “Provisions” store. This cheese lady really knows her stuff and I’m not ashamed to admit she has a flawless track record of introducing and upselling me into new cheeses (4/4 for the record). When she told me about Burrata, that it was a mozzarella with additional cream inside, there was nothing to be done but scarf a sample. The deliciousness met my tongue, synapses fired, a waking dream of the tomato at home bubbled up and *POW*, just like that, sweet sweet commerce was made. I greedily scurried a ball of the imported stuff home to be mated to this awesome ‘mater.

Love the Buratta and love the Green Grape’s provisions; I’ll gladly sing both their praises for making my life better.

The result. Nothing but ultra fresh and perfectly ripe, garden-good, tomato and basil, delicious cheese, some olive oil, salt and pepper. It was 3 times as delicious as it looks; damn I love summer – victory garden indeed!

So after a weekend of mass pork consumption, and the onset of a mild case of trichinosis, it occurred to me that we might have somehow forgotten to pay homage to the sausage, the forgotten pork vehicle.

Bacon month turned into bacon summer and lord knows we have consumed some bacon. On top of the usual 2 pound a weekend minimum that has been set as the standing bar for the Ram’s Rest, this weekend we actually consumed 4.5 pounds of freshly cut slab bacon from the oh so sassy Smith Street butcher. For those of you not familiar with bacon, it is the pig’s way of saying thank you.

Lest I digress, back to the forgotten fruit.

In the madness of the bacon frenzy, we have neglected our friend the sausage, who has faithfully served us for so long & in so many wonderful ways. There is of course the link and the patty, who have been holding it down at breakfast since we figured out how to grind shit up. There’s also the hot dog (aka. frankfurter, frank, weenie, wiener, dog and tube steak) the most perfect $1 New York food on the planet. Like the oven at Peter Luger’s, the secret to the New York hotdog is to never change the water they boil them in, thus accumulating the flavor encapsulated in the nugs and boiled off bits from years of hot dogs. I go mustard/ketchup, kraut and onions, but I’m from here.

Beyond the commonly known breakfast sausages and garden-variety hot dogs I just mentioned, there are a plethora (yes jefe, a plethora) of other ‘sausage’ related products that make this world a better place. According to the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council, there are over 85 varieties of sausage (with many having sub-varieties).

I’m going to stick the ‘mainstream’ varieties, and by mainstream, I mean the ones I know and like. I am certain the butcher’s son (who shall remain nameless*) knows more about this subject than I do, but his absence at the last few meetings has put his membership into question and catapulted me into a position of authority.

When I am king, you all will hang.

In the “things everybody would identify as a sausage” category there’s: Bratwurst, Chorizo, Kielbasa, Weisswurst and a million flavors of what we simply call sausage. Each has it’s own magic and will be sampled in September, now officially know as Sausage Month..

On the somewhat forgotten side, are the Italian’s contributions to the party, Capacolla (aka Gabagool as in “what? you don’t like Gabagool?”)), Mortadella, Proscuitto and Salami. Though we more often than not see them sliced thinly (and in NG’s hands by the refrigerator), these varieties start off as tubes and slabs and then are sliced after the fact. Rest assured they are real and they are fantastic. These will also be represented in the Sausage of Truth showdown in September.

Lastly, there are other regional pleasures that mainly exist in the places that deem eating crazy shit to be totally fine.

Included in this category are: bangers, smokies, scrapple, lola, linguica, goetta and frizzies. Each are odd and, in their own way ,delicious. I might propose a mixed bag event where nations are represented by their respective meats.

All in all, the sausage is truly it’s own pork champion, not some redheaded stepchild of bacon. I am resolute that, after sausage month kicks off, you will all have a clearer understanding of the power of the sausage.

I just hope the lipitor holds up its end of the bargain.

]]> http://dofb.com/food/saw-zeech-the-forgotten-pork-vehicle/feed/ 1 http://dofb.com/food/saw-zeech-the-forgotten-pork-vehicle/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Dofb/~3/zy76dLw_Wz0/ http://dofb.com/seattle/rattlesnake-ridge-and-rattlesnake-lake/#comments Mon, 18 Aug 2008 01:15:18 +0000 admin http://dofb.com/?p=889 Today I finally had my chance to get out into the Cascade Mountains and hike in a beautiful location and only a 35 minute drive from Seattle.
My trip was to the scary sounding Rattlesnake Ridge , where I did not see any snakes but did see some beautiful scenery.

Hiking Time to Rattlesnake Ridge: 1 hour
Miles: 4 Round trip
Elevation gain: 1,175 feet

The Dukes showed up six runners strong and opted for the “longer” run which, while not really long, did provide all kinds of awesome scenery. I ran there and back as well, effectively doubling my mileage and upping the bridge-crossing ante (12 Miles, 4 spans crossed; 3X Manhattan & 1X BK). Great miles logged and hill training for RTB as the Manhattan and Brooklyn bridges have looonnnnnng grades. All in all, an excellent evening spent running with friends and some good new runners met.

RTB:
RTB Training Report 2
RTB Training Report 1
RTB Announcement

The video below is of Gavin McInnes eating a Bhut Jolokia pepper and is AWESOME. I hope we can attempt this same stunt next season after a visit to Peppertown USA

A study released two days ago by Stanford School of Medicine confirmed what many in the running community have long known – running slows the aging clock.

“When Fries and his team began this research in 1984, many scientists thought vigorous exercise would do older folks more harm than good. Some feared the long-term effect of the then-new jogging craze would be floods of orthopedic injuries, with older runners permanently hobbled by their exercise habit. Fries had a different hypothesis: he thought regular exercise would extend high-quality, disability-free life. Keeping the body moving, he speculated, wouldn’t necessarily extend longevity, but it would compress the period at the end of life when people couldn’t carry out daily tasks on their own. That idea came to be known as “the compression of morbidity theory.”

Fries’ team began tracking 538 runners over age 50, comparing them to a similar group of nonrunners. The subjects, now in their 70s and 80s, have answered yearly questionnaires about their ability to perform everyday activities such as walking, dressing and grooming, getting out of a chair and gripping objects. The researchers have used national death records to learn which participants died, and why. Nineteen years into the study, 34 percent of the nonrunners had died, compared to only 15 percent of the runners.”

Perhaps not the fountain of youth itself, but an elixer almost as good. Maybe ol Ponce de Leon shoulda pulled his conquistador head out of his armor ass and laced up a set of kicks.

We seem to be having quite a mythical year. What’s nhhkjkkjkhxt? Nessie? Bigfoot?

With Pepper Town USA neatly in order, the not- so-sleepy neighbor plot to the East (?) got out of control in the last few weeks. While it’s tenders were tending to other matters, the tomato trestle system could barely contain the high summer growth. Plants were growing every which way but as intended, with fear of taking over the basil and cucumber patches– egads!

A little known fact about grape and cherry tomatoes vines– allowed to grow along the ground, they will re-root and fuse with a neighboring plant. We had about 10 vines that made it from one side of the trestle to the other side. In an attempt to get some order back, I re-tied many of the vines and even tied some over the top of the trestle system so that the tomato bunches would start to grown over the trestle with fruit hanging down from the wires– rather than on the ground with easy access for all sorts of pests.

After 5 hours of re-giggering, Victory was indeed mine. Not with out some causalities, of course. About four sections of vine needed to by cut to make room and sun for other plants- there was just no way around it. Further, two pints of green tomatoes were shaken from their branches as the re-org took place. Not to worry, my friends, they will will not go down in vain. About three weeks from now, pickled green cherry tomatoes await your Labor Day martini!

As for the rest of the garden, the green beans and Pepper Town USA are in the lead with great strides and major yields ready for the taking.

I’ll wait for the Mayor of PT to arrive before harvest, as I think he has some plans for these beauties. The green beans were harvested and went to the pasteurization tank for their last Hoooray…

The cucumber plants seemed to suffer from the tomato invasion, and are not yielding as much as I would like to see at this point. I sourced some organic vegetable food from the hardware store and stuffed their little mounds– hopefully we see a turn around.

The Sugar snap peas maybe a complete loss, we’ll have to see how they do with the bit of maintenance and the additional water. Oh, and the basil party is on. One batch of basil pesto in the freezer already!

With the race a mere 5 weeks out, RTB training slogs on. The squad has experienced no shortage of injuries and we’re hopeful everyone will make the start in reasonably decent shape. I know I have my fair share of morning limps and griping muscles of late, but I’m also totally stoked for this new and wild experience. I mean, what’s not to love about a 24hr straight, rain or shine road race over hill & dale complete with vans full of sweaty, stinkin’ friends plotting great deeds and the inevitable vanquishing of suds?

Anyway, it’s a little late in the game, but I came upon what looks to be an excellent training program tailored for a similar race at roughly the same time in Colorado.

http://www.coloradorelay.com/race_info/training.html

I’m pleased to report that, according to this at least, I’m largely on-point as far as my own training goes. Though I’ve been notably lazy about incorporating 2-a-days so far. Ho-hum; maybe tomorrow.

Stay tuned for more RTB info, training updates and saber rattling from our intrepid event captain: The New Guy (TNG)

Over on Hootpyrides I came across a hell of a fine Galaxie 500. In the course of investigation [read:drooling], I learned about a paragon of 60′s devil-may-care engineering, Turbonique. These crazy bastards made various after-market upgrades for speed junkies which generally boiled down to strapping as much thrust to a chassis as physically possible and hoping for the best.

Obviously this was at a time when it was still acceptable to sell wildly dangerous shit to the public. We’re not talking about NOS here – we’re talking about a genuine Jet engine! While some good has undoubtedly come from the intervening years of government mommying, I, for one, have a healthy yearning for a time like this. A time when the tools for rampant foolishness were readily availible and, if you wanted to risk life and limb by bolting a thrust engine to your ride, well then the more power to you.

Thanks for the brain-tickle Mr. Jalopy, excellent stuff as always.

I guess the same can be said for any fruit, but we were definitely blown away by the sheer cherry awesomeness. If you’ve never slurped the juice that collects at the bottom of the bowl you’re using for pitting cherries, you haven’t lived. We muled about 10lbs home; most are frozen awaiting future diabolical cherry plans, but some yielded an amazing cherry/balsamic reduction for a grilled pork loin. Is there no end to the cherry’s excellence?!?

True indeed.

Yellow Sweets

Mixed sweets pickin’ pail

Fresh cherry pie!

Also of note; they show appropriate reverence for the jerky in Michigan. I’m having all of my mail forwarded here immediately.

Just how far are we chunkin these punkins? The world record currently stands at 4434.28 feet, a little under a mile. Are you kidding me? The event is held in Bridgeville, Delaware from October 31 – November 2 this year. Count me in. I’ll blend in perfectly…

When I think about a picnic, chicken is the first thing that comes to mind. I decided to try a new Deviled Chicken Drumsticks recipe last night. The recipe says it serves 6 as an entree. Umm. This chicken is so good that two of us plowed through it in record time. And it’s insanely easy, only 15 minutes of active cooking time. Can be served hot or cold. This is a real winner.

The ingredients are awfully simple. Get 2 1/2 – 3 pounds of good quality chicken drumsticks. I used D’Artagnan which I bought at the local supermarket. If you haven’t had it, their chicken is nothing short of incredible. It makes a huge difference in any recipe. Pat the drumsticks dry and coat in Dijon mustard. You then coat the drumsticks in a breading that is equal parts panko bread crumbs and parmesan cheese, along with salt, pepper, couple tablespoons of melted butter and a teaspoon of cayenne pepper. You then roast in the oven at 450 degrees for 30 minutes or until the chicken has browned.

It will look exactly like this. Chicken on deck!

In the 40′s and 50′s, every issue of Gourmet magazine featured cartoons. They posted a bunch on their site which I got a kick out of. Check them out.

And maybe it’s just me, but that song reminds me of ‘Goodbye Horses’ by Q Lazarus, you’d probably know it best from Silence of the Lambs. Am I crazy?

Watch the Making Of Video:

Watch the Video:

A small cadre of your friendly neighborhood Dukes lit out this past Saturday for a tranquil day to be spent plying the waters of Peconic Bay on the Sea Senorita. It was a perfect stage….hot, sunny and with ample wind. We had our chippery laid up, plenty of water, a bandoleer of sailing juice and cruised on over to the protected slip where the sloop laid awaiting. It was an auspicious start, the sort of day that gives you a tingle in your stomach, an innate comfort. Like suckling at the teet of life; a knowledge that, yes son, good will ultimately triumph over evil, pie does trounce cake and god-damn-it the natural order of the universe works.

So you can imagine our surprise when we got to the slip and found no sign of the noble craft. No boat. No mast. No nothing.

It was like loosing your breaks at the top of the hill…pump pump pump, but nothing left save shrieking and ruin. Or the sinking doom of a refrigerator burglary most grievous; you’ve just gotten home after working 18 hours straight and, no matter where you look in the fridge, that last damn beer you had so skillfully camouflaged as a condiment is gone. And the flurkin store is long closed.

It’s a sinkhole of despair that wrenches open one day just close enough to your split-level SoCal trackhouse to gobble up your garage and menace, day by day closer. Bringing with it the slow, tumbling, hungry certitude that this spring’s vinyl siding, and the new putting green you fought for and which now sits directly between you and the yawning maw, were not, after all, the wisest investments.

Well, maybe it wasn’t quite that horrible, but you get the picture – it sucked.

Now, when it comes to a general perpetration of laid-back grooviness, the Dukes always try to excel. But we can also spring into action like a scalded ferret when the situation requires. And spring we did. We scoured the cove, interviewed neighbors, interrogated gulls and very aggressively scratched our heads. “Would be an odd thing to steal”, we mused, “not worth a whole lot, no sails aboard and such”. And there’s no reason it could have run afoul of the local authorities; twas safely resting in our good chap WB’s slip, which is deeded to his house. And he sits on neighborhood home owner’s association, which can’t hurt.

Nope, we concluded, only one thing is possible: the Sea Senorita fell victim to a dastardly sabotage sortie by rival running club Los Compadres.

We’ve long known the feral deeds they’re capable of, with their speedy ways and their unflagging spirit. I’ve always suspected that news of a DOFB naval acquisition would be met with clear understanding. The Compadres are students of the game and would have to innately grasp the precipitous shift in the NYRR balance of power that only naval superiority could evince.

Yup, they must have paddled her out and scuttled her to protect themselves. Almost can’t blame them really.

So off we trundled to the Shelter Island Police Department to file a report and express our grievances. After some sleuthing we were even more astounded, appalled even, to learn that no, the Sea Senorita had not met with a fiery/wet end. In fact, she currently resided at a town mooring for floating scofflaws. Yup, the sweet ‘rita had been impounded!

It turns out that there was far less, ahem, clarity regarding the ‘rita’s accommodations than we understood to be the case. In point of fact, some nice lady is quite sure that the slip in question belongs to her. The floating constables had spent some days trying to ascertain to whom the boat belonged, but were unable to track us down on account of the visible registration being long expired and in another’s name (the Sea Senorita is sub 17′ and, having no external propulsion, is exempt from registration requirements under NY boating regulations).

To further complicate matters, the kind maritime officer Pete told us that he was unable to release the boat without solid proof of ownership. Title was far out of hand and we were momentarily stymied. “Hmmmm, well, Pete, do you have a computer at the station we can use for a second?” we asked. He said sure and we were admitted to the inner sanctum of the SIPD whereby we pulled up this very blog and drew his attention to the initial Stable Report post on the ‘rita.

There was no doubting the authenticity, heck, Fayth was there and Graham was even wearing the same jaunty hat. Pete chuckled and said that, while unorthodox, it might just do. We printed out a copy of the entry, stapled it to the complaint report and, after some further paperwork, an explanation of our creed & general dedication to good times, the pivotal naval role the Sea Senorita plays in said, not to mention a topical overview of the Dukes of Flatbush campaign for world domination, Pete was convinced that she did indeed belong to us and should be returned forthrightly. Or maybe it was the “FREE THE ‘RITA” chants that seemed to spontaneously ring out across hill and dale.

Whatever the cause of our emancipation, it was with thudding hearts that we watched the Sea Senorita freed from her solemn purgatory. Pete was a hell of a guy and expertly towed us out of the Deep Impound Cove (ed: so deep) and into the harbor. He also lent us an anchor on account of his concern for our maritime safety. All in all, he helped us make the best of a shiza situation so we could salvage our day with the only tonic that mattered: the windy, curative balm of a delightful sail.

The saga continues. Ownership determination of the slip will likely involve some wrangling on the part of our dear friend. I’ll be appearing in early August to relay the tale and plead for the leniency and good humor of the court. And, for now, the ‘rita is once again trailer-bound.

But the important part is that we have the ‘rita back. Our naval stratagem is preserved, we’ll live to sail another day and the very presence of this blog made it all possible. Res Firma Nitescere Descit

They are pretty handy for a range of recipes like chili or mac n’ cheese, but I’ve been focusing on gratin dauphinoise. I have been experimenting a lot over the past year and think I finally cracked the code. Feast your eyes on this:

I don’t have a formal recipe, but this is super easy. I rub the cocotte with a garlic clove and butter. I then add layers of thinly sliced yukon gold potatoes. If you have a mandoline, use that to slice the potatoes. It’s not too difficult to achieve a similar effect with a chef’s knife, it’s just a lot more time consuming. After each layer, I add a tiny dollop of butter, a few finely chopped green onions, salt and pepper. Repeat until you have nearly reached the top of the cocotte. Mix equal parts whole milk and heavy cream, add that mixture to the cocotte so you have completely covered the potatoes. Top with Gruyere cheese. One tip: I place a sheet of aluminum foil on the oven rack directly underneath the potatoes to catch run-off – saves a lot of hassle, especially if you have sensitive smoke detectors. Cook at 375 degrees for around 30 minutes or until the cheese crust is bubbly, a little blackened.

I specialize in potato recipes and this has quickly become one of my all time favorites. One of the nicest things about the dish is the aroma of the green onions as you pierce the various layers. It’s irresistible. I am going to try a few new things for kicks: substitute jalapenos for green onions, add a few layers of pancetta but this recipe is a crowd pleaser.

You should get involved.