May 28, 2012

Memorial Day trail run on Doudy Draw

Last night Sophie said “Mom, can we go for a run tomorrow morning?”

My ears perked up. The obvious answer was YES.

We made a plan to go to Doudy Draw where my usual Saturday Morning gang was running. I told them that we would run/walk the trail, go as far as we liked, then turn around. It was OUR day and we had no time constraints.

Sophie and Connor are 12 and 9, respectively, and just finished out their 6th and 3rd grade years. They’ve hiked trails before, Sophie just finished her first season of middle-school track, but I had no idea how this was going to go.  We talked about it and decided that we would just go out and enjoy the morning.

We reached the trailhead at 7:05am; the Saturday Morning group was still standing around. Kathy took a quick picture of us before the mass of humanity headed onto the trail.

Connor led the way. Bobbing along in his bright orange hat, he took off like a colt from the shoot. A few of us chuckled; he would wear down soon enough and I told the group that we would be hiking shortly after the energy spurt wore off.

Ten minutes later we stopped to let Connor catch his breath. Sophie had been easily jogging along at a good warm-up pace but Connor was winded and had a side cramp.

I broke out the Honey Singer Chews, fed and watered my children and took off again, this time at a more reasonable pace. We saw the ladies one last time as they hooked up the side of the ridge.

It’s amazing to see your favorite trail from the eyes of a new trail runner. I got to tell them about the gentle hills that were coming, where we would walk if it got too hard, and where the terrain flattened out again. I told them about the mesa and how the wind would whip through there and how we would run for the trees to find shelter.

Connor got his breath back and chattered away. At one point I told him to save his breath for the hill; I think he stopped talking for about 2 seconds.

We got to the fire road at the top of Spring Brook Trail and paused again to look at the water flowing through the ditch. The road is relatively flat at this point; all the significant climbing is done. We meandered along, checked out the rock faces and noticed a place where lightning struck and burned a small patch of trees.

At one point Sophie paused to look at a flower, then ran to catch up. I turned around and snapped a picture of her. She saw it and said, “I look just like you, except with longer legs!”

I carried the hydration pack and snacks, doling out both to whoever looked like they were lagging. At one point I noticed that I was getting hungry; after 4.5 miles I don’t usually feel ravenous, but this was also a slower pace than I’m used to and we had been moving for about an hour and twenty minutes. I pulled out a Gu that I knew neither kid would want and sucked it down, saving the real food for them.

We paused to take in the beauty of Eldorado Canyon and pose in front of the the fast-moving water.

The weather and the clear blue skies made this a picture-perfect run. We arrived back at the car about 2 hours after we left. There was serious permagrin on this happy Momma’s face; I did a trail run with 2 of my favorite people in the entire world. What a beautiful, brilliant way to start the summer. We’ll have a lot more of these mornings!

Filed Under: Spring 2012, Trails Tagged: , , , ,
May 21, 2012

REV Coffee Roasters- Review

When Nick from GetCoffee.com tweeted about wanting bloggers to review REV Roaster Coffee I jumped up and down and waved a big sign. I was perfect for the job; I talk, write and tweet about it and drink it by the quart. I love me some coffee.

A pound of Brazil Cerrado coffee arrived a few days later in a big truck. I wrestled the box from the driver’s hand (and broke a nail in the process, but such is the sacrifice for beans), tore open the package and inhaled deeply.

Rich and smoky, it smelled like a warm tropical night in a remote village along the Amazon River. I’ve never been to a remote village along the Amazon River, but this is what I imagine it would smell like if you could pack it into a bag and send it to America to be consumed by the cup.

After I finished getting nostril germs all over the coffee I waited impatiently for morning to arrive so I could make some brew.

At 6:18am the next morning I spooned the usual amount of grounds into the filter, pressed Start on my 4-cup Mr. Coffee and watched in fascination as dark water trickled into the carafe. As the liquid filled up the glass I was slightly interested in the fact that the coffee looked darker than my usual stuff (no light was getting through the carafe, it was dark as my bathroom at midnight), but forgot about that as soon as I poured steaming yum into my cup.

It was strong; trucker coffee. My discerning palate noticed something else though, a bittersweet flavor that dallied on my tongue after the first sip, the last chug and all the gulps in between. In fact, the bittersweet was so powerful that I felt dehydrated and over-caffeinated after consuming my usual 16 oz of coffee. WHAT?!?

The next morning I tried again using slightly less grounds. The result was similar; yummy but too strong of a punch; it was like going zero-to-sixty with no room to ramp up and enjoy the gentle awakenings of caffeine’s friendly knocking.

A few days later it hit me. I was treating this coffee like my regular run-of-the-mill grocery store brew. This was high-quality coffee and needed to be sipped, savored and experienced.

Mr. Coffee was up to the challenge. I measured half the amount of grounds that usually gets tossed in the filter, fed some fresh cold water into the machine and turned it on. This time the coffee was a milder color; it wasn’t Texan oil anymore. I could still smell the smoky aroma but it wasn’t overpowering. I inhaled deeply and let the coffee nectar pause in my mouth before resuming its downward trajectory.

Nuanced and delicate, I had finally brewed a fabulous cup of REV coffee.

When you get your REV Coffee in the mail, spend some time appreciating the smell of expertly roasted coffee beans. Then, treat these beans like a $70 bottle of wine or $5 chocolate bar. Savor the flavor and marvel at the artistry of this a damn good cup of joe.

Filed Under: Reviews, Spring 2012 Tagged: , , , , ,
May 11, 2012

Glute Strengtheners

Runners often complain of chronic muscular imbalances. Whether one hamstring is tighter than the other or injury has created systemic weakness, it’s a good idea to do some basic strengthening exercises.

I have a chronically weak right glute due to tromping through the rain forest in the belly button of Costa Rica over 20 years ago. Trail running has strengthened the glute to a point, but the imbalance rears its ugly head when I do extended road or speed work. Coming off a 16-week marathon training cycle, I’ve put in my share of fast road miles and recently visited my trusted Physical Therapist to see what kind of damage I’ve done.

My PT, an Age-Grouping Ironman, had me do a few one-footed squats. I squatted like a champ on the left foot, then gritted my teeth when I wobbled on the right. He chuckled, laid me down on the table and promptly gave me two exercises for the glute.

1. External Rotation Clamshell: Lie on your left side with your left leg straight on the floor (no bend in the hip). Place your right hand on the floor in front of you to support the upper body. Bend your right leg until the arch of the right foot rests on the inside of the left knee. Start with the right knee touching the floor in front of you, then slowly raise the knee toward the ceiling, keeping the right foot in contact with the left knee at all times. When you’ve raised the right knee as high as you can, slowly lower it back to the starting position. Repeat this exercise 15 times.

Side leg lifts. Note the foot position in each photo.

2. Side leg lift: Lie on your left side with your left leg straight on the floor, as though you are standing. Stack your right leg on top of your left and roll slightly forward so that your right arm is taking a little of your weight. Begin by turning the right foot so that the toes point upwards. Very slowly raise the leg as far as you can, keeping the toes pointed up. This posture engages the gluteus medius. At the top of the exercise gently release the leg back down. Let the toes return to a neutral position. Repeat this exercise 15 times.

After doing each exercise 15 times, repeat the set once again. Do these consistently twice a day for two weeks, then you can join me at my next PT appointment and we’ll see who’s butt is stronger.

Filed Under: Sick or Injured, Spring 2012, Training Tagged: ,
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