Hungry Runner: Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

Admission is the first step towards recovery, right?  Well, here goes.  My name is Kate, and I am addicted to muffins, especially of the miniature variety.  Ever since finding two mini muffin tins at a recent garage sale, I've been cultivating all sorts of miniature masterpieces.  Mini muffins are a bit high maintenance, but I've discovered that my kids will eat almost anything when delivered in the shape of a mini muffin.  And I can't say that I blame them.  Wee-sized food is just too cute not to eat!

Last week, thanks to our CSA share, I had butternut and acorn squash on hand, a muffin craving, and a quest to combine them.  When I discovered this pumpkin chocolate chip mini muffin recipe from the Minimalist Baker, I knew that I'd found a winner.  I decided that my squash could easily replace the pumpkin and gave the recipe a try.

Before I could make my muffins, I had to roast my squash in the oven.  To do so, I cut them in half, removed the seeds, and placed them face down on a greased pan.  I baked them at 350* for about 45 minutes.  After they cooled, I scooped the flesh out of the skins and used my stand mixer to puree them.  My squash roasted, cooled, and pureed, I was ready to tackle the muffins.  I tweaked the original recipe based on my pantry stock and my baking preferences, so my recipe looked like this:

Ingredients:
1 egg
1/2 cup roasted squash puree (I used a combination of butternut and acorn squash)
1 cup milk + 1 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup agave
2 tbsp oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup white flour
1/3 cup mini chocolate chips (mini chips are a must for mini muffins!)

Directions:
1.  Preheat the oven to 375* and grease muffin tins.
2.  Combine egg, squash, milk, brown sugar, agave, oil, and vanilla.  Once combined, add baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon and stir until uniformly mixed.
3.  Slowly add flours to the wet ingredients and stir until combined.
4.  Add chocolate chips and mix just until the chips are evenly distributed.
5.  Spoon batter into muffin tins, filling them almost to the top.  Add an extra mini chocolate chip or two to the top for presentation.
6.  Bake for 18-20 minutes for mini muffins or 22-26 minutes for full sized muffins.
7.  Allow to cool in the pan for 5 minutes then remove to wire rack to finish cooling.

I am not any sort of a photographer, so don't judge this muffin by its looks.
It is moist, chewy, and amazing, I promise.

I'm pleased to say that they turned out beautifully, as evidenced by the fact that my double batch barely lasted three days.  These muffins made a great and quick post-run snack.  They are a wonderful fall treat and a fun way to use some of our winter squash.  Do you have any favorite ways to prepare winter squash?  Do you have a snack obsession on par with my mini muffin addiction?

Rock 'n Roll St. Louis training update #2

Race day dawns in 11 days, and most days, I don't even remember that I'm training for a race.  Sure, I'm logging the miles.  Yes, I've contemplated my attire.  Absolutely, I can't wait until tomorrow when I can first see race day on the 10-day forecast.  But whereas my first 13.1 absorbed much of my mental focus for weeks, this race is down near the bottom of my mental totem pole.  In some ways, this is a good thing.  Running half marathon mileage has become a way of life for me, so the difference between "training" and regular life are minimal.  I'm a bit lot more obsessive about logging the exact number of prescribed miles when a race is on the horizon, but the routine of 3 weekday runs plus a weekend long run is just normal at this point.  I've also been so preoccupied with major life happenings that I don't have much mental space leftover for thinking about the race.

When I do take time to contemplate it, however, I see that training is going well.  We ran 11 miles on Sunday, which was our longest run of this training cycle.  Throughout the run, I felt strong and pain-free, and the miles passed almost effortlessly.  We planned a route with lots of late hills to prepare for the hills at the end of the course, and we kept a good pace even through the inclines.  This weekend's long run will only be 7 (I love this point of a training plan when 7 miles feels like a short distance), and then we head into taper week.

The training plan with weathered edges and very few unchecked boxes:
race day must be near!

During this training cycle, I've been a strength training slacker, but I'd otherwise applaud my efforts.  I've logged all the miles, maintained a consistent post-run stretching regimen, visited my chiropractor monthly, done yoga a couple times a week, and haven't lost my sanity.  At the end of the day, I call that a win.

Why I Love Running in St. Louis

The iconic Gateway Arch anchors the St. Louis skyline.

I'm a native St. Louisan, and though I left for 6 years of college and graduate school, my heart has always been in this city.  Especially at this time of year with the Cardinals playing post-season baseball, it's hard not to get swept up in civic pride.  So it feels like a good time to expound upon the reasons I love living and running here in the Gateway to the West:

• Friendly running community: St. Louisans are generally friendly folks (unless you start belittling their beloved Cardinals), and the runners here are no different.  I always wave at other runners I encounter and can usually count on one finger the number of people who do not return my greeting.
• Terrific retail support:  Big River Running company, an anchor in the St. Louis running community, has been honored as one of the best running stores in the country.  Their customer service is second to none with a knowledgeable staff who are happy to support back-of-the-packers and elites alike.  They sponsor weekly group runs, training programs for both beginning and experienced runners, educational clinics, and more.
• Great trail network:  The Great Rivers Greenway has been at work for decades creating an interconnected web of paved trails throughout the metropolitan area.  Our neighborhood is near several trails, which Emily and I love to explore on our long runs.  Additionally, many runner-friendly parks, such as Forest Park and Castlewood State Park, feature grassy trails for those seeking an off-road expeience.
• Good local organizations:  Organizations like GO! St. Louis and the St. Louis Track Club go to great lengths to support local runners.  They host various race distances throughout the year, ranging from 1-mile kids runs to 5k/10k to half and full marathons.  They also provide arenas for runners to network and support each other's endeavors.
• Wonderful weather - sometimes:  Local St. Louisans always like to comment on the weather, especially this oft-repeated gem: "You don't like the weather?  Just wait an hour; it'll change."  Though slightly exaggerated, that statement holds a fair amount of truth.  We experience the full range of weather around here, with bitterly cold and icy winters and hot, muggy summers.  But in between, we delight in beautiful spring and fall running seasons.  After coming off either extreme season, I feel like I can fly during the mild months.  It makes the humid/icy/scorching/frigid weather all worth it - sorta ;)

What do you like best about running in your area?

Race Photo Gone Wrong

I received notice that finish line photos from my recent 5k were available for viewing.  Knowing that such photos of me always fail to impress, I clicked the link with low expectations.  What I found has left me giggling throughout the day.  The organizers included a caveat that photos were tied to race finishing time, so the photos linked to my bib might include others who finished with the same overall time.  Ok, no big deal.

Then I started scrolling through the pictures and quickly realized that I finished with quite a crowd: that guy I chicked right at the finish line, a speedy middle schooler, a 20-something who looked ready to keel over.  Finding myself among the crowd felt a bit like exploring a Where's Waldo book.  Eventually, I found a snippet of my arm, a piece of my skirt, and a glimpse of my face - over someone's shoulder.  The best pic by far, however, was this gem:

Kudos on a great race, sir.

A well-framed photo of this man, who won the 70+ age group and ran a killer race, but definitely not a photo of me.  Fortunately, my friend's husband snapped a photo of me crossing the finish line:

Skirt sparkling, tall form, and from this distance,
you can't see my I-might-puke face.

Needless to say, I won't be purchasing any finish line photos from this event.  What was your best race photo?  Have you ever snagged a good one?

Difficult, Not so Difficult

The last several days have not been as I expected them to be.  A week ago, I would have told you that the following things in my life were difficult:

1.  last Sunday's 10 mile run, my longest since my half in April.
2.  hanging out with my crabby, refusing-to-nap, cutting-four-teeth-at-once (it's a good thing she's cute) baby girl.
3.  cleaning brown crayon off an entire load of laundry, which of course, I didn't discover until after it had gone through the dryer.
4.  cleaning brown crayon out of aforementioned dryer.
5.  organizing logistics for two school fundraisiers and a parish event.

Now all of those things are utterly insignificant.  The only truly difficult thing in my life is watching my grandmother slip out of reality.  In her 101 years on this planet, she's always been sharp as a tack with a witty sense of humor, a strong will, and a generous heart.  Without warning, she's begun a rapid descent, experiencing frequent moments of vast confusion where she doesn't know where she is, who she is, or what she is doing.  Heartbreaking.

So in a matter of days, my priorities have vastly realigned, and my runs have become an absolute necessity.  They help me take a break from care-taking duties and give me a chance to clear my head.  As I met up with Emily this morning, I was so grateful for the chance to work up a sweat and to take control of something in life.  Today, as it so often does, running reminded me that I can do difficult things.  Like last week's 5k, sometimes I have to resign myself to the fact that life is hard, and all I can do is hold on for the ride.  And keep running to balance the stress.  Always keep running.

My Strava title for today's run says it all: controlling what I can control,
which these days, isn't much.

Running haiku

Flashback to 1995 for this glimpse of high school mama kate: take a peek into my bedroom, where I am madly scribbling poems while listening to They Might be Giants (on cassette, of course).  Not a runner yet, I loved the freedom of poetry and used it as a creative outlet for teenage angst.  Nowadays, I'm more likely to work off my frustrations on a run rather than in a poetry journal, but I still enjoy creating poetry from time to time.  And I've discovered the perfect poetic form for running: haiku.

Sometimes, especially on long solo runs, I like to compose haikus on the go.  Capturing the feeling of a run in the syllabic restrictions of haiku is a fun way to pass some miles.  Or at least this nerdy runner girl finds delight in doing so :)

Some recent composed-on-the-run haikus:

burning lungs and quads
on dark, silent, moonlit streets
make me feel alive

*******

lacing up at dawn
pushing limits, growing strong
only squirrels to see

*******

How do you like to pass the miles on a long run?  Anyone else use the time to compose poetry?

Race Recap: Run for the Hills 5k

On Saturday, I returned to a familiar 5k course feeling a bit unsure and apprehensive, but I left feeling empowered and victorious.  In the week preceding the race, I had my heart set on achieving a new PR.  Come race morning, however, my confidence flagged, and my interest in that goal waned. My body was strong, and I knew I could run hard, but my brain was wimping out big time.

Pre-race smiles with Dan.

Emily and I are ready to go!

In perfect, 60* weather, Emily and I ran a 2-mile loop from our houses to the starting line, which felt very good.  As the starting gun fired, Emily said, "Don't stay with me if you want to run fast.  Run your race!  I'll see you at the finish."  We ran together for the first mile and then separated when she grabbed some water and I went without.  We clocked the first mile in 7:58, at which point I was sure that negative splits would not be attainable.  Logging one sub-8:00-minute mile is huge for me; to add a couple more sounded impossible.

I headed up the first hill, passing several runners along the way.  I cruised through a flat stretch and then a nice downhill, logging the second mile in 7:52.  I felt good as I approached my least favorite part of the course: the hill at mile 2.  Even on this hill, however, I kept my focus, thought about running tall and strong, and I passed many people as I climbed.

By the time I crested the hill and neared the 3-mile marker, I was mentally and physically spent.  I was exhausted, and running fast no longer felt fun.  I rallied mentally by telling myself that I do hard things all the time; this was just another hard thing that I had to do.  It was time to embrace the suck.  Taxed but still pushing, I finished that third hilly mile in 7:29.

Coming down the final stretch, I surprised myself by finding some extra gas in the tank and kicking it into yet a higher gear for a strong finish.  I finally closed the gap on a man I'd been trailing for half a mile and crossed the finish line alongside him.  Official finishing time: 24:24!  I blew my old PR out of the water by 3:04!!

The best cheering squad on the planet!
My generous parents wrangled my kids and my nephews so we could run. 

After refueling, rehydrating, and cheering for the rest of our gang, I ran the 1-mile kids fun run with my 6-year-old.  We had a disastrous experience last year, so I felt a bit unsure as we set off.  He wore a cape my sister had made for him, which inspired cheers from many spectators.  He fed off their excitement and had a great time.  We did a mixture of running and walking, as we had planned, and he was happy throughout.  What a difference a year makes!

Super D. and I are ready to race!

After crossing the finish line with Super D., I checked the standings and saw that I placed 4th in my age group.  I finished 75th overall (out of a field of about 350), and I was the 19th woman.  To say I was ecstatic is to say that an ultra is a little race.  We stayed for the beginning of the award ceremony to cheer for my friend David, who finished 3rd overall.  As we were heading away, David came racing toward us, medal in hand.  "You won 2nd in your age group!" he cried as he handed me the medal.  I was confused but excited.  It turns out that the top two women in my group were 2nd and 3rd overall, which moved me up to 2nd in our age group.  A technicality but still a win - and a medal!  I wore that medal with pride all day :)

Special shout-out to Sparkle Athletic for my blingy skirt.
I think the sparkles gave me speed!

I left the race thinking that this PR would probably stand for quite some time.  Now, 48 hours later, I'm thinking about what speed work I could do next summer to try to top it again next fall...  This is what I love about running: it always pushes us, calling us to be the best that we can be.