Wednesday

Not much happening today, but I'll tell you what I know.

It's really early, but registration is already open for the 20-Minute Challenge on July 15. All you have to do is walk or run for 20 minutes. Registration is free. And you get a Running Room 25th Anniversay running hat to boot. I just signed up.

Yesterday I met with Scott Safe of the Safe Weightlifting & Athletic Strength Center. His P.R. person is a reader of my blog. I'll write up a little something about his center and the importance of strength training in the next couple of days.

Off-Season Striders will run at 7:30 AM on Saturday from Dunn Bros. on Elton Hills Drive. Here's the proposed 10.75 mile route. It's easily made longer or shorter. Note: We will be running from my house on February 7, the last OSS run before the marathon training class begins running from the Rochester Athletic Club on February 21 (February 15 is the LUABC Half Marathon ). There will be food and beverages provided afterwards. John's email today noted that he has 120 people on his OSS distribution list! Yikes!! What if they all decide to show up on the 7th ... oh my ... :o) Actually, it would be great fun!


This morning I ran 11.11 miles. Spotted near Younge Park, Maureen and Nikki. The run was quite pleasant, actually. I dressed in just the right number of layers so the cold wasn't an issue. I wore my Icebugs so that I didn't have to worry about slipping on the ice. What I was concerned about in the dark (I forgot my light) was rolling an ankle. All the ups and downs in the ice are frozen so solid. It was zero degrees when I left and it felt like it dropped a couple degrees at sunrise, which it usually seems to. Very nice run. Not fast, but nice. Good thinking time ...

My Route

Mile .5 to 1 is a nice long downhill. Mile 1 to 1.5 is an uphill. Mile 10 to 10.75 is a long uphill. Other than that it's fairly flat save for a few rolling hills on the highway 52 frontage road.

Elevation Chart

Mile 10 was a quick stop at Kwik Trip. The little spikes are stops for traffic lights/road crossings most likely.

Well, I guess I'll post a sinfully rich recipe today. Triple Layer Brownies.

Shortbread Layer
1 cup unsalted butter
1 tsp. salt
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

Brownie Layer
1 cup unsalted butter
2 1/4 cups sugar
1 1/4 cups Dutch-process cocoa
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1 Tbsp. vanilla
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup chopped walnuts and pecans (optional)
1 cup chocolate chips (optional)

Topping
2/3 cup (6 1/4 ounces) caramels, melted and mixed with 1 Tbsp. cream or milk
1 cup toasted pecans

Shortbread layer: Preheat oven to 300. Lightly grease a 9 x 13 pan. In a mediumjbowl, cream together the butter, salt, sugar and vanilla then beat in the flour. Press the dough into the prepared pan, smoothing the surface. Prick the dough all over with a fork. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until it's golden brown around the edges. Remove it from the oven, and set it aside to cool.

Brownie layer: In a medium microwave safe bowl, or in a saucepan set over low heat, melt the butter; then add the sugar and stir to combine. Retrn the mixture to the heat (or microwave) briefly, just until it's hot, but not bubbling; it'll become shiny looking as you stir it. Heating this mixture a second time will dissolve more of the sugar, to make a shiny top crust. Stir in the cocoa, salt, baking powder and vanilla. Whisk in the eggs, stirring until smooth; then add the flour, nuts, and chips, stirring until smooth. Spoon the batter atop the baked shortbread in the 9 x 13 pan. Bake in a preheated 350 oven for 28 to 30 minutes, until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Just before the brownies are done, melt the caramel over very low heat on the the stove or in a microwave. When it's soft, stir in the cream or milk. When the brownies feel set in the center, remove them from the oven, and to with the melted caramel, then the nuts.

Note: to toast nuts, heat in a preheated 350 oven for 8 to 10 minutes or until they're golden brown and smell toasty.

Thought for the day: A smile is contagious; be a carrier.

:o)