Across the Line

Yesterday I came up with a plan to finagle company for my long run: give Henry a bag of caffeinated Sport Beans, toss him on the neighbor's trampoline, and plop Brian on his bike to pace me for 2+ hours.

Okay, maybe not the part about the beans, but the other stuff is true.

Henry bounced in the yard and caught toads with our neighbor for a couple hours, and I learned that having someone on a bike next to me is great for maintaining my pace. I averaged 8:33 for my 14 miles on some nasty hills along AP Bio Alley, so named because of the unavoidable lessons in what I missed when I closed my eyes in bio lab after being sprayed by frog when my partner sliced into poor Kermit. Brian and I dodged at least 10 frogs doing Savasana pose.

Despite that unpleasantness, I really liked being paced by a bike. Good for steady pacing, and good for feeling like a hot shot. I could imagine I was Deena in training, all fancy with my bike pacer. Perhaps this is why I felt empowered to yell at poor Brian for not chatting enough with me while I ran.

A quintessential spousal moment:

"Talk to me!"

"You're wearing your headphones."

"Because you're not talking to me!"

"I saw another dead frog back there."

"What did you say?"

"Never mind."

Ah, marital bliss.

The rest of the weekend has been spent rewarding myself for my miles. I must admit that I always crave McDonald's french fries and Coke after a long run, so there was a bit of that.

And today I made brownies and whisky sauce, in part to treat Brian for riding with me and in part to share with those I've noticed are crossing their own lines--whether in prepping for a first marathon or returning from injuries.

Oh yeah, and because I love whisky sauce and I suspect it might work well to bring down a kid who's high on Sport Beans. Theoretically speaking, of course.

"Crossing the Line" Whisky Sauce (adapted from the Joy of Cooking)

Melt 1 stick (you heard me) of butter over low heat.

Add 1 cup (not kidding) of sugar, 1/3 cup of Jim Beam (uh-huh!), 2 tbs water (you're rehydrating), 1/8 tsp nutmeg, and a dash of salt.

Stir over low heat until the sugar is dissolved. Remove pan from stove.

Whisk an egg until it's frothy in a separate bowl.

Add the egg to the sauce over medium heat, stirring until it simmers. Allow to simmer for a minute, then remove from heat. Pour over ice cream, brownies, or any other decadent concoction.

Celebrate yourself, the success of Michael Phelps, or the fact that it's Sunday.