The Cake Mix Doctor bakes GF
A few weeks ago, I received a copy of The Cake Mix Doctor Bakes Gluten-Free, by Anne Byrn to review. Anne takes typical boxed cake mixes and adds in other ingredients to make a boxed cake homemade.
If you’ve read this blog for any length of time, you know that I’m not a baker. Sure, I can produce a decent cookie every once in a while (provided the recipe is simple enough a 4 year old could make it), but I don’t have major baking skills. Which is why I was pretty stoked to play around with this cookbook, which has 70+ recipes from muffins to brownies to cake.
The first recipe I made was the Devil’s Food cake with buttercream (although I opted for chocolate frosting since Matt claimed he wouldn’t eat anything vanilla and I was counting on him to eat at least half the cake so the rest didn’t end up going straight to my butt).
Yes, I know my cake is lopsided, the top layer is larger than the bottom, and there are weird holes in it. That isn’t Anne Byrn’s fault, as she couldn’t have anticipated that I would forget the timer on the oven because I was engrossed in the newest Angry Birds.
But the taste? Definitely better than just box mix chocolate cake (I used Betty Crocker’s GF chocolate cake mix, by the way). Matt even ate his fair share. 
Cake holders? Not at this house. Frosting spreading skills? Nope. (More frosting in the mouth than on the cake? Yep.)
All in all, a good shortcut book for those of us that who would rather pay Betty Crocker to measure the flour, sugar, salt, etc. and save some time, but don’t want to simply eat boxed cake mix cake.
For those of you in the Dallas area, Anne Byrn will be in our area:
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
7:00 – 9:00pm
A Real Bookstore
113 Prairie Road
Fairview, TX 75069
Hope to see you there!
Disclaimer: I received the book to review for free, however I purchased the cake mixes and other ingredients with my own money. All opinions are my own.
A blueberry muffin walks into a bar
One of the reasons that I don’t do the food diary thing on here (any more) is that I’m really a creature of habit laziness. I happily eat the same thing several days in a row and usually when figuring out what to eat for a meal, I default to the easiest option. It’s a priority thing – after a late night at the office, I’d rather save time prepping food to have a longer night with my husband. Maybe one day I won’t have to pick, but for now, it is what it is.
One of my favorite quick foods (note: I did not say ‘meal’) is a Larabar. I’ve eaten Larabars since before I went GF, but they became all the more valuable once I had less options. And for the sake of convenience, they’re amazing – I keep one in my purse at all times so that if I’m stuck somewhere where GF options are scarce, I won’t starve. Because sometimes it feels like that will happen when you’re hungry, there’s nothing safe to eat, and the gluten-eaters of the world are chowing down in front of you.
Going back to the convenience factor, I tend to go the quickest route with breakfasts – Vega Vanilla Sport Protein shake and a Larabar of some kind.
A few weeks ago,Larabar sent me a surprise.
(Disclaimer: I received this product for free; however my opinions are all my own)
The box was a tell-tale sign that I was going to be interested in what was inside.
I can’t tell you how long it has been since I had an actual blueberry muffin (even GF), so take this with a grain of salt, but I thought this was pretty spectacularly muffin-like.
Typical Larabar base: smooshed dates and nuts – 2 (or so) ingredients that somehow manage to taste magical when formed into a bar shape, but otherwise forgettable on their own. Plus dried blueberry bits, lemon juice, blueberry juice and a touch of vanilla.
When I eat particularly good Larabars (Key Lime Pie and Coconut Cream Pie are my favorites, but I’m not a fan of Cashew Cookie or Gingersnap), I imagine that the Larabar factory is akin to the Willy Wonka factory in the classic movie, and that there is some super cool machine that takes the smooshed date and nut base and adds a drop of (insert flavor here) essence and WHAM! you have a (insert flavor here) Larabar.
I’m sure it’s a bit more scientific than that, but magical, nonetheless.
I thought these were pretty good – not overly blueberry-y with plenty of lemon and vanilla to balance it out – but they are not my favorite flavor.
Still, I appreciate the variety, and since my breakfast has to be shelf stable, mold-resistant, and fit into my desk drawer next to 3 year old packets of tuna, this is probably the closest I’m going to get to eating a blueberry muffin most mornings, so it fits the bill.
So, lovely people at Larabar: Can I request a chocolate old-fashioned donut Larabar next?
Subway: GF sandwiches for the rest of us?
Welcome to Dallas, where it is 18* one day…
and 50* the next. (Seriously – I wore a t-shirt and shorts to the gym today.)
I love the Dallas metro with all of my heart. I love the southwest meets big city culture. I love the sports teams. I love the food, especially good Tex-Mex. And I especially love the shopping.
But I do not love the crazy winter weather we get. And by crazy, I don’t mean blizzards (although to many Texans, the snow you see above might as well constitute a blizzard) – I mean that it can literally be jacket-free weather one day and well below freezing the next. That’s insane. And that is precisely why I have an office full of sick people each winter.
When I lived in Oklahoma, I really began to appreciate winters. In Oklahoma, it gets cold and stays cold. In Texas, it gets cold, gets warm, gets cool, gets warm, gets freezing, gets cool, etc. No one I know ever rotates their seasonal clothes to the back of the closet because you never know what you’re going to get.
But one thing Dallas has on the rest of the country right now? Gluten-free sandwiches from Subway.
About a month ago, I was contacted to give a quote for the press release for Subway’s gluten-free sandwich buns that would be tested in the Dallas market beginning at the end of January. (You can read the press release here.)
As I told them, I was initially concerned about the cross-contamination issues because, afterall, Subway does make their living by making people sandwiches on gluteny bread. And anyone that has been to Subway since going GF can’t help but notice that there is literally bread everywhere.
So I was very happy to hear that they had taken major measures to ensure that the GF buns would, actually, stay GF. Because, as you and I know, there is no point in a place offering something that starts out GF if it doesn’t make it to your plate GF.
Here are a few things Subway is doing to ensure the GF sandwich bun makes a GF sandwich:
- Subway has issued training materials to each of their “sandwich artists” on how to prepare a GF sandwich
- The buns come pre-wrapped
- The “sandwich artist” will make your sandwich from beginning to end (My husband tells me that regular sandwiches are made assembly-line style with multiple employees touching the same sandwich)
- The person preparing your sandwich will first wash her hands, use sanitizer, then put on fresh gloves before touching the GF bun
- The knife used to cut the bun in half comes pre-wrapped and will only be used once, for your sandwich
- All sandwich artists are “taking measures” to ensure that the meats, cheeses, and vegetables are not contaminated with gluten during regular sandwich making
Based on this info, and because I find myself more and more interested in finding lunch options that do not come from my own kitchen and are not prepared by me, I sought out a Subway last week for lunch.
At first, I wasn’t sure if all Subways in the D/FW area would be carrying the GF buns, but as soon as I walked up to the door, I noticed a sign pasted on the door noting that there was now a GF bun. Awesome.
When I walked in, I told the first available “sandwich artist” that I wanted a gluten-free sandwich. She immediately took off her gloves, washed her hands thoroughly, sanitized them with what looked like a Purell-like substance, then put on fresh gloves. She got out a clean piece of sandwich paper, the pre-wrapped bun, and a pre-wrapped knife. She opened the bun and placed it in the middle of the clean paper, then opened the knife and cut open the bun. I was watching like a hawk (I may or may not have been on my tip-toes, peering over the glass counter), but my sandwich never went anywhere near any offending crumbs. She then made my sandwich per my instructions, including toasting it (still on its protective piece of paper), wrapped it up for me, and took my money.
So, I had a sandwich. And it appeared to be something I could eat without having to go home from work sick later that day.
But was it edible?
Why yes, yes it was.
I had a turkey blt (basically just turkey breast, bacon, lettuce, tomato, and a little regular mayo). And it was good. Not earth-shattering, but good.
The bun itself was a little spongey for my preference, but I think part of that was that it wasn’t toasted as long as it could have been. I’ve been a loyal Kinnikinnick fan for many years, so I’m used to that version of GF bread, which is awesome when toasted. As far as taste goes, it had a pleasant flavor with no aftertaste. I really think it would have been pretty good had it been toasted longer.
And most importantly: I didn’t get sick after eating it. Not in the slightest.
So, add Subway to your GF fast food listing. Is it gourmet? No. But it’s another GF option in a gluteny world.
And that, my friends, is something to celebrate.
Sunday night rituals
I’m a structured person. I subdivide my to do lists into this month, this week, today. I stress about missing deadlines, so I set earlier deadlines for myself so I couldn’t possibly miss the real deadline. I don’t do “relaxation” well.
So you’d better believe I have a Sunday night ritual.
It hasn’t always been the same. That’s the beauty of a ritual. What the ritual involves can change, but it remains a ritual.
Lately, I’ve taken to spending Sundays at the office, getting caught up and working on homework. For the last several years, I’ve always spent a good portion of Sundays “working” – but doing so at home proved to mean I got far less done than I should have given the hours I was putting in. So after coffee and the news, I head to the office and enjoy the quiet.
What this also means is that by the time I get home on Sundays, I’m ready to get started on my routine – laundry, light cleaning, nice dinner (I can’t lie – Matt does most of the dinner prep), meals packed for the coming work week, and then finally, some quality time on the couch with the kitties, husband, a movie or Desperate Housewives, and a big glass of wine.
I also find that having a structured Sunday means that I can actually relax when I am finally done with everything, versus puttering around all day, never really getting anything done, thereby not really being able to relax.
Tonight’s “nice dinner” comes courtesy of a recipe we used to make all of the time, but haven’t made since we moved to Dallas, 2-1/2 years ago.
Southwestern Pork Chops with Grilled Pineapple Salsa
Plus grilled asparagus – simple with olive oil, kosher salt, and pepper.
And a big salad of spinach, red leaf lettuce (my very favorite), red cabbage, fresh grated parm.
Plus cherry-white balsamic vinaigrette (inspired by Gena’s Fig White Balsamic)
And now it’s time to enjoy the rest of the Sunday night ritual – cuddling with the kitties, husband, and a fishbowl-sized glass of wine.
Have a great week!
See food
When we lived in Oklahoma, Matt and I salivated at the thought of being able to buy fresh fish for dinner. The freshest you got in Oklahoma was previously frozen tilapia – not exactly anything to write home about.
While Dallas isn’t exactly on the border, it has an impressive amount of (relatively) fresh seafood for a landlocked city. As we were making plans to move here, we spent hours pouring over seafood cookbooks and dreaming of all the barbecued shrimp and grilled fish we would make. Unfortunately, most of that has not come to fruition as we are neither good meal planners nor do we like the fish options at the grocery stores nearest us.
So last night, we decided we would go out for our seafood.
We’ve eaten at Chamberlain’s Steak & Chop House several times – it is one of our favorite steakhouses in the D/FW area – but had never made a point to try their sister restaurant, Chamberlain’s Fish Market.
I knew I wanted to try an appetizer (one of my favorite things about seafood restaurants, as the appetizers are usually just that – an appetizer, not a meal) but we couldn’t decide between the ahi tuna with ponzu sauce (the ponzu sauce was not GF because the soy sauce that was part of it was the wheat-containing kind), the smoked scottish salmon with dill tartar sauce, and the U-10 shrimp cocktail. We went back and forth and finally decided on the shrimp cocktail.
(sorry in advance for the dim pictures)
U-10 shrimp cocktail with remoulade and cocktail sauce
These shrimpies were practically prawns. It’s ironic that I used to HATE shrimp. I would avoid it, eat around it, refuse to eat things that contained it. Now I quite love them.
The remoulade sauce was definitely one of the best I’ve had in a while. Creamy and perfect.
For the main course, I debated between the Grilled Redfish, cajun spiced, with tabasco butter sauce, the Scottish Salmon with jumbo lump crabmeat, shrimp, white wine, and lemon butter, and the Oak Planked King Salmon with pinot noir peppercorn butter.
Ultimately, I just picked the first thing that popped into my head when time to order: the salmon. Double ironic – I used to hate salmon too.
Oak Planked King Salmon with pinot noir peppercorn butter
Both Matt and I agreed that this was one of the best salmon filets we’ve ever had. It was perfectly salted and flaky. The only issue was that I apparently like my salmon more medium-well and this was cooked medium (they told me that when I ordered but I didn’t think about it until it arrived). I’ll happily eat medium-rare steak but I like my fish to be dead.
And for a side, a baked potato. Nothing exciting.
We weren’t quite ready to end the night and our server mentioned they had dulce de leche crème brulee, which is my most favorite restaurant dessert ever. So we indulged.
Add a cup of coffee and I was a truly happy camper. 
Gluten-free Dining in Dallas
A while back, the North Texas Gluten Intolerance Group hosted an event at the Gaylord Texan where restaurants in the Dallas area were invited to share their gluten-free selections.
Finding chain restaurants that offer gluten-free items isn’t all that hard anymore. When I first went GF almost 5 years ago, finding a restaurant that knew what gluten was was difficult, let alone finding an actual GF menu. But now – fortunately – most chain restaurants have an inkling of what gluten is and most publish their allergen info, even if they don’t have a specific gluten-free menu.
Finding non-chain restaurants that offer GF items is a little more difficult. On one hand, independent restaurants are more likely to use whole ingredients instead of pre-packaged sauces, mixes, etc., so they can more easily make a gluten-free entrée on the fly. On the other hand, the knowledge of what is gluten-free and what isn’t usually resides with the chef alone, and getting good info from the wait staff can be difficult.
That said, the best GF meals I’ve ever had have come from independent restaurants and Dallas has a plethora of them.
13270 Dallas Parkway
Dallas, TX 75240
P: (214) 459-1601
Full gluten-free menu, including clam chowder, 5 specialty salads, several seafood and grill choices, as well as 3 desserts.
Grilled Lime Chicken Salad (and chocolate cake)
Mixed greens with Chopped Vegetables, Asparagus, Avocado, Cherry Tomatoes and Corn. Tossed in a Citrus Vinaigrette.
2700 E. Southlake Blvd.
Southlake, TX 76092
P: 817-748-2100
Gluten-free menu with salads, sandwiches (served in lettuce cups), entrees and sides.
Wood Grilled Atlantic Salmon
Wood Grilled Atlantic Salmon with Basmati Rice, Jicama-Cucumber Salad, Tomatillo Salsa
1501 Gaylord Trail
Grapevine, TX 76051
P: 817-778-2800
No specific gluten-free menu, but Exec Chef is super knowledgeable about gluten
Chipotle Barbecue Prawn with Monterrey Jack Grits
Oh my word this was good. Sooooo good.
1601 Precinct Line Road
Hurst, TX 76054
P: 817-498-6770
Gnocchi with grilled chicken in a garlic cream sauce
1501 Gaylord Trail
Grapevine, TX 76051
P: 817-778-2800
No specific gluten-free menu, but Exec Chef is super knowledgeable about gluten.
Barbecued Brisket Sandwich
While there is (almost) always an Outback, or a PF Changs to fall back on when dining out, truly good meals are often found at the restaurants that don’t have a million locations all across the US. Dallas is known for its restaurants, and though this is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to eating out in the metroplex, it is clear that Dallas’ unique restaurant offerings are no longer limited to the gluten-eating community.
Welcome to 2011
Here we are, the first of the year. The first day of the first month of the first year of a new decade.
Last year, I set some goals and here’s how I did (comments in red):
2010 goals
- Feeding my body, not my mouth or (growling) stomach.
- I did a good job on this one. I did a better job planning (quick) meals and made an effort to eat real meals, rather than an assortment of snacks.
- But, allowing myself to splurge occasionally without guilt.
- Definitely. Racing more (and therefore training more) allowed me the flexibility to eat most of what I wanted without any guilt. In fact, I don’t find myself craving many sweets anymore because they are never off-limits, and therefore never forbidden. Funny how that works.
- Organizing my home life like I organize myself at work (oh, and doing a little bit better at that, too)
- Uh, still need to work on this one. However, I did organize my HOME more this year, just not my home life.
- Not sweating the small stuff.
- Still need to work on this one, too. I am a control freak, so it’s quite possible that this will be one of those goals on my list every year. Baby steps.
- Doing more cooking and baking
- My husband did a better job at this this year.
If it weren’t for him, I’d eat kale salads and frozen mac’n’cheese and peas every night.
- My husband did a better job at this this year.
So I clearly fell short of my goals, but I’m not upset about it. 2010 was a very, very challenging year, but a very good one. Amongst other things, I:
- accepted a huge promotion
- traveled all across the country for work
- ran a half marathon and several other races
- cycled a century
- bought a new car
2011 will likely be as crazy as 2010 – if not MORE crazy – so my goals for this year are about balance and organization.
- Delegate, delegate, delegate.
- I have a hard time doing as much of this as I need to. I need to spend more time training my subordinates so they can take on more daily duties and leave me with more time to…
- …Spend the majority of my time reviewing and analyzing.
- This is my favorite part of my job, so making this a priority shouldn’t be difficult… but it is because I’m often pulled onto project after project. This year, I will limit my involvement in projects not directly related to my department.
- Make time for me.
- One of the easiest ways to do this are long runs, long swims, long rides, etc. I’m alone with myself and can truly unwind.
- Find balance.
So there you have it.
Hope everyone had a wonderful, safe, gluten-free (if need be) holiday season. We were blessed with time with family and friends, although we missed seeing several people this year, and Santa was very good to us. 
Tales from the front of the peloton
To any non-cyclists out there, a pack of riders just looks like that. A pack.
But there are important differences between rider formations that aid in wind resistance and getting the most bang for your buck when riding with a group.
In the group I ride with, the peloton usually rides two abreast, with up to 30 total riders (more than 30 is really hard to keep together with stop lights and such).
[ source ]
This is how we ride 90% of the time. Except for the riders at the very front (the “pullers”), the other cyclists tuck themselves behind the rider in front of them and stay 6” behind their back wheels for maximum wind-avoidance (aka draft potential).
Occasionally, we will use an echelon formation.
[ source ]
Echelons are used when there is a strong crosswind. In the picture above, the crosswind would be coming from the left side of the picture, so the guy in the top left is to the right and front of the person next to him who is to the right and front of the person next to him and so on. This forces the first rider (the puller) on the left side of the picture to take the bulk of the wind so that the other riders can save some energy.
We don’t use echelons to this degree much because we don’t have more than one lane to work with on any street. Sometimes we will ride two abreast in a staggered formation such as above, but it really doesn’t provide the same benefits.
The sinus infection I came down with after Hotter’n Hell knocked me flat on my back for nearly 2 weeks. I haven’t done much riding, running, or swimming because every time I’d start to feel a little better, I’d wake up the next morning feeling sick again. It’s the sinus infection that never ends.
This morning, I decided I had had enough. Not working out isn’t really an option since my next race is on October 3rd and I’ve already registered. But working out at a high intensity seems to make things worse, so this morning I joined a slower group for what was supposed to be a social, easy ride. I’ve ridden with this group several times and each time, I end up pulling. I actually prefer pulling because it gives me the freedom to set the pace and attack hills, but today I really just wanted to take it slow.
Unfortunately, it was not meant to be. No one volunteered to pull even after I said I wasn’t up to it today, so we set out with me in front. Things were going fine until the riders right behind us (me and David, who was also pulling [we ride two abreast, so there are always two pullers])started complaining that we were attacking hills too fast but not going down hills fast enough. At that point, I got very angry. Here I am, doing all of the work even when I am sick and am not up to it, and you’re complaining? That’s how that group rolls (ha!) – they don’t take turns doing the work and expect the same people to put in the work all the time. There needs to be a give and take – it doesn’t help the riders in the back to get faster or better if they don’t put in their time at the front. And it doesn’t help the pullers to day in, day out kill themselves. Riding is like running – to be good at it you have to do it a lot. Mostly easy, sometimes hard.
The lack of sharing the workload is not an issue with the faster groups – people take their turns pulling and there is always someone willing to help out if the usual puller isn’t feeling it that day.
Needless to say, I’ll probably do my easy rides on my own from now on. I surely don’t mind putting in the time, and on most other days, don’t mind putting in ALL the time, but I think it’s ridiculous that those that were healthy wouldn’t put in a few miles of work.
So. 27.37 miles in 1:41.
——
One of the things I’ve been working on is trying to spend a little more time preparing food rather than doing the frozen meal thing. I really think there is a place in a healthy diet for select frozen meals (I like Amy’s), but they should be saved for when you’re in a pinch… not every day.
Like most couples, we have staples that we (Matt) make frequently. Pasta Bake, variations on a mexican-ish rice casserole that we fondly refer to as mexi-crap, and homemade pizza. But we’re trying to break out of those habits because who wants to eat the same things all the time?
So in brainstorming tonight, Matt suggested BLTs. And the lightbulb went on.
I made a B.A.L.T. by smashing 1/3 of an avocado with a little s+p and layering it on Kinnikinnick sandwich bread already spread with a little mayo (I was clearly feeling the whole ‘fat’ thing).
Add some vine-ripened tomato slices (sad that they have lost their color already…)
some Hormel bacon (love Hormel and their clear labeling rules),
and some romaine… and you have the best B(A)LT I’ve ever tasted.
(I had some leftover brussels sprouts and tomato slices on the side but they escaped the camera.)
Quick to put together, super tasty, and not wallet-breaking. My kind of dinner.
Hope you had a nice weekend!
Simple.
Sometimes, it’s nice to take a step back and enjoy the little, simple things in life.
Like sleeping in, and throwing on a big sweatshirt and fuzzy socks once you wake up.
Zeus seems to have a handle on the simple things in life.
Oh, to be a cat.
My idea of simple is a little different.
I’m very, very pleased with Starbucks’ new Anniversary blend. It’s awesome.
Since I was up early with nothing pressing to do (well, there’s that massive to-do list that has spanned 2 pages, but we’re not thinking about that right now…), I took a little extra time to make a good breakfast.
Fiesta omelet
- 1 egg, 4 egg whites
- tri-colored fajita-style peppers and onions
- ancho chile, cumin, and chipotle
- salsa and light sour cream for toppings
Plus a Kinnikinnick hamburger bun (work with what you have!) topped with Crofter’s superfruit (Europe) spread.
Tasty and simple.
—–
So, after my massive ride last Saturday, I haven’t gotten on Torch (my bike – yes, I named him) at all this week.
Apparently it is very common for marathoners/centurians and the like to get sick after an endurance race. I’ve been lucky that I haven’t gotten sick from any triathlons yet, but those are over in a relatively short time compared to the nearly 7 hours I spent on the bike last Saturday. Add to that the roughly 14,000 competitors in very close quarters. Getting sick seemed inevitable.
I’ve spent all week fighting a sinus infection, which I’m hoping means that I won’t get sick again until the spring (I usually get 2 a year). Despite several doses of antibiotic, I’m still feeling yucky. I’ve alternated from feeling meh, to feeling better, to feeling meh, to feeling awful, to feeling better, and now to feeling meh again. When my alarm went off at 4:05 this morning, I got up and started to get ready before I noticed the pounding in my head and ache in my ears and decided that hitting the road for a hilly 60 miles was probably not the best idea.
So back to bed I went, which allowed me to get up (later) this morning feeling a little bit more rested. I know that a lot of people will exercise when they are sick, but endurance sports are a different animal than hopping on the elliptical at the gym. When I was a gym rat, I’d work out when I wasn’t feeling great and it wasn’t an issue. But now I have to worry about bonking on a hill or needing to turn back but still being 15 miles from my car.
Taking unplanned time off when I need it is precisely the reason I do not obsessively plan a training schedule. I have an idea of what I want to do each week, which generally goes like this:
S: Longish run (8-10 miles) or recovery ride (30 miles), depending on how I’m feeling
M: AM: swim (1500 y.) PM: short ride (25-30 miles)
T: AM: medium run (5-6 miles)
W: AM: swim (2000 y.) PM: interval ride (30-35 miles)
Th: AM: speedwork run (3-4 miles)
F: AM: swim (1500 y.)
Sa: AM: longish ride (50-65 miles)
I typically swap workouts depending on what I feel like doing and what my training friends are doing, but I aim to get in at least 3 rides a week, at least 2 swims, and at least 3 runs.
Since this week was a bust (I only worked out once - a 5 mile run on Tues AM), I anticipate next week will be a big week, assuming I feel a lot better.
As a Type A, having weeks like this past one really bugs me. I don’t like to see the blip in my training logs, and I don’t like missing my Sat AM group rides (the most fun workout of the whole week). But I’ve also learned that if I don’t listen to what my body is telling me, I’ll regret it.
Hotter’n Hell Hundred (plus 2.6)
Yesterday morning, I woke up and rode 100 miles.
Ok, a little more than that – 2.62 bonus miles.
On Friday afternoon, we drove out to Wichita Falls, TX (which is close to the Oklahoma border, a little NW of the D/FW metro) for Hotter’n Hell 100.
[ source ]
HHH is the largest century event in the United States and is about the largest source of tourism for Wichita Falls because, well, why the hell else would you want to go there? 
But in all seriousness, HHH is pretty famous for the awesome volunteers and spectators. Apparently they appreciate their towns being taken over by 14,000 sweaty, spandex-clad cyclists for a day. Having someone cheer you on when you’ve been riding for 6 hours makes a big difference.
(On the flip side, I know how it is to be a volunteer and have cranky athletes, so I always made a point to say thank you to each volunteer.)
We stayed at one of the church camps in the area, bunk-style. BIG mistake. I learned Friday night that I am apparently very demanding about the conditions during which I can sleep – room temperature, noise, comfort of the bed itself, and light. And I hadn’t texted Matt to tell him I was going to sleep, so he texted me 3 separate times and woke me up. My phone, along with the dozens women coming in and out of the bunk house as well as the bathroom, pretty much made it impossible to fall asleep until after 1.
At 4:15, I was woken up by women getting up to get ready. Do the math and you’ll see why I was rather cranky in the morning.
After I got up and threw on my clothes, we headed over to breakfast. Since I knew there wasn’t a chance I’d be able to eat much of what was prepared, I had packed a PB&J on a Kinnikinnick english muffin (pre-toasted and prepared, which meant it had a texture not too far off from cardboard). I ate that along with half a banana and some grapes (thank goodness they had fresh fruit) and a little bit of scrambled eggs (which they swore were only seasoned with salt & pepper – but I probably wouldn’t do it again if I had to do it over again… I blame the lack of sleep). I made a beeline for the coffee machine, only to sadly discover that it was about a strong as hot water.
The start line was absolutely packed when we got there, but we managed to squeeze in and wait. The best part of any event like this is the free swag and by just hanging out at the start line, waiting for the national anthem, the air force flyover, and the canon blast, I got several packs of Clif Blocks and GU.
Then the canon went off and off we went! Actually, there were 2,000+ people in front of us, so we more or less coasted to the start line and THEN we took off.
Miles 0-25 were easy and fabulous. The weather was great, the breeze was gentle and cool, and we were all in good spirits. After mile 25, I was on my own as my buddies from the cycling club did the 100k (metric century) and mile 25 was where the 100 milers and 100 kers split off.
Miles 25-60 were good. We passed through Burkburnett and one of the spectators sitting outside his house had his garden hose and was spraying anyone that asked. I did and he got me good – this really helped for the next couple miles. I was feeling great and passing people left and right. I stopped at most aid stations and ate GUs, banana thirds, orange slices, and filled up my bottles with gatorade.
Oh, and drank this:
Pickle juice!
Not all that bad when you’re seriously in need of salt. And I swear it keeps cramps at bay.
One of the unique things about this race is Hell’s Gate. It’s a point in the race – about 62 miles – that they close down if you don’t reach by a certain time of day (because it only gets hotter as the day goes on and if you haven’t made it to 62 by 12:30, you’ll be out on the road much longer than is safe). If you get there after it has closed, they redirect you so that you finish 10 miles up the road at 72 miles. Because of a bad crash around mile 22, everyone had to walk their bikes for a mile or two in the grass on the side of the road so the ambulances could get through. Even after we made it through the crash, it was a struggle breaking through the slower riders to get ahead, so a lot of riders were very anxious about making it to Hell’s Gate before it closed.
Fortunately, I got there with plenty of time to spare.
Miles 60-75 were really difficult. The roads were new chip seal (i.e. the absolute worst riding surface second only to gravel or sand) and we had turned straight into the wind, which was neither gentle nor cool anymore. The vibration of riding over chip seal really sucks the energy out of you. It was at that point that I, and I’m guessing most of the people around me, starting wondering why anyone signed up for this ridiculous thing. The sun was beating down and people were puking on their bikes. The medical tents at the aid stations were full of people lying on the grass or cots.
After 75, I felt a little better. Only 25 miles left to go – that’s nothing. I ride 25 miles on easy days. So I soldiered on and befriended anyone that looked like they were struggling still.
By mile 85, I had gotten a second wind and felt fabulous. One of the aid stations was manned by the town’s fire department and the firefighter had his water hose. He sprayed me down so well that my socks were dripping and it dropped my body temperature way back down. So for the next 18 miles, I climbed hills like they were anthills and hammered away the flats.
And then it was over.
That is the only complaint I have about this event – the ending was rather anti-climatic. You just rolled through the big HHH arch, got off your bike, were handed a finisher’s pin and handed over your time chip.
I hung out at the PBA tent for about 30 seconds and then hopped back on my bike to ride to the car a mile or so away. I’m encouraged at how good I felt afterwards – I seriously could have kept riding. Clearly, my wall was at mile 60 – I wonder when my second wall would have hit?
After a quick shower, we headed back to Dallas. I woke up this morning a little sunburnt and a little sore today, but other than a massive hunger, I’m feeling about normal.
First century is on the books! 102.62 miles (not counting riding to or from the car) in 6:45:09. Not bad considering I stopped to help out when I saw someone down and stopped at most rest stops.
Next up? Another triathlon in October, a few 10ks and a half marathon in December. Can’t wait!
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So, if anyone is still reading this, I’m sorry that I up and disappeared. All of this training – while one of the most fun things I’ve done in my life – means that I have less free time in general. I’ll be the first to admit that I have never (and never plan to) spent a lot of time preparing my meals, but I’ve found that now, 5 minutes seems like too much time to spend on food. So I’ve been eating really unexciting, really repetitive things, and I haven’t wanted to post about all of the frozen Amy’s meals and Larabars I’ve been chomping on (which are great products and fine in a pinch, but not ideally an every meal thing).
From now on, I’d like to do a mix of training talk and food talk. Afterall, they kind of go hand in hand. I’m going to be experimenting with making my own sports drinks (right now I drink G2 Gatorade but I’m not so happy with all of the artificial stuff that’s in it) and recovery drinks, as well as trying to find food that is both quick and easy, as well as nutritious and nourishing.
