I feel numb, confused and anxious. Is this really happening? I haven't really felt this way since the pandemic. The feeling is surreal, uncertain and dystopian. I've spent the better part of the day brainstorming what I can do to "fight back". But it's not really about fighting. The reality is that I don't have the bandwidth to make much of a difference personally. So, it's really about where I can make donations with organizations that will have the most impact. ACLU, NRDC, EDF? More research is needed. It's cool knowing that my company will match at least some of the donations I finally settle on.
Prior to the election, I was really on a high. Training has been going really well. The plantar fascitis that I had for 6 months was gone and I had fixed it by myself. Went back to basics into minimal "barefoot" shoes for any time I wasn't running or hiking and did exercises to strengthen my feet. Switched back to low drop Altras with the wide toe box so that I could actually use my feet while running. I was able to run 20 miles this past weekend (with a sweet, unexpected 30K PR!) with no pain and ran 5 miles the next day. I'm about 4 weeks out from a 50K race and I think I'll be ready. I don't plan on training past 20 miles. Will probably do a 15 miler this weekend.
4 mile "loops" from my front porch
I always do best when I can focus on just a few things. Family and kids are always top priority and it has been busy with kid activities. Beyond that, about 6 weeks ago, my boss encouraged me to look into becoming a coffee Q (Quality) grader. Becoming a Q grader is no small feat. Most folks are in coffee for a few years before going for their Q. I've been in coffee now for about 16 months. Fortunately, I really love coffee and I love learning. I also really appreciate that my company is encouraging me and supporting me to learn more. The last time I studied for anything was in 1999. I had to get back into flash cards and practice all of the tests.
Boo keeping me company while studying
There were 20 tests which included sensory (distinguishing intensities of sweet, salty and sour alone and in mixtures), olfactory (being able to name 36 key coffee smells blind), taste (being able to name 14 key positive and negative flavors in coffee blind), acids (being able to distinguish between the 4 main acids found in coffee), triangulations (being able to find the odd sample in 6 different sets of 3 cups), grading green and roasted coffee, passing a general knowledge test and 4 cupping sessions.
At the cupping table
Cupping is a standardized way of evaluating coffees and is very involved. I really only had a month to practice cupping. There's a specific form used that breaks down all attributes of coffee including the dry fragrance, the wet aroma, flavor, aftertaste, acidity, body, balance, sweetness, uniformity and identifying defects. The coffee is ultimately given a score and the score that you come up with must not be an outlier amongst the others who you're cupping with. Unfortunately, I did not pass 2 of the cupping sessions because I marked defects that were not present and I also did not mark the form correctly. The good news is that I passed all 18 of the other tests. Apparently, the rate of getting a Q grader certification on the first try without having to take any retakes is only 20%. My plan is to practice, practice, practice cupping, which I really enjoy and then go for my retakes in January.
I look way too serious. I really did not want to spill.
The best part about prepping for the Q course and taking the course was my exposure to unique and beautiful coffees that I would have never tasted otherwise. I'm embarrassed to admit that I used to take coffee with both cream and sugar. However, now I drink it black, as it's the only way to truly taste the coffee. Also, I have found some wonderful light roasted coffees that have virtually no bitterness. They are juicy and fruity and delightful to drink on their own. If I had to drink a dark roast, I might actually want to add some creamer to cover the bitter/ashy qualities of the roast.
The Q grader course and testing was a 6 day long process. There were calibrations and practice sessions before the tests. Luckily, the class was only a 45 minute drive from my house. However, I was there from 9-6 each day, which meant that I was getting up at 4:30 to get my runs in. Running in the dark was definitley a challenge. The days were long and exhausting and the exposure to caffeine, sometimes very late in the day wasn't great for sleep. Somehow, I managed to stay healthy. Stuck with my daily ginger and raw honey tea and also took a lot of vitamin C.
Running in darkness, but rewarded with a sunrise
For the past few weeks, my training has been routine. Mondays are rest days with strength/mobility training. Tuesdays, I do an easy 5 mile run. Wednesdays, I do an easy 5 mile run with 8 x 100 meter strides at the track with 300 meter floats. Thursdays I do an easy Zwift bike ride for close to an hour. Fridays I run 5 miles easy. Saturdays have been my long run days and I top off the week with 5 miles on Sunday. Last week I switched my long run to Sunday because I went hiking on Friday. Since the race is on a Sunday, I will probably keep my long runs on Sunday. I wanted to jump into the Princeton Half this weekend, but it's sold out. I might still jump in without a bib, but not sure if I'll get kicked off the course? I think it should be fine. Obviously, I wouldn't be using the aid stations and wouldn't run through the actual start or finish. It might be fun to warm up for a couple of miles and then run onto the course before the actual start. It's just nice to be finished with a run before 9am.
I've also been practicing my fueling during the long runs. My new favorite gel is the Science in Sport beta fuel gel. It packs a whoppin' 40 grams of carbs and goes down so easily. It has a more liquidy consistency compared to any other gel I've ever used. For my long run last Sunday, I used my front porch as an aid station and practiced drinking all I would need for each of the 5 x 4 mile loops so I could run without a bottle. Had a normal breakfast of coffee with a banana and peanut butter and started fueling after each loop. This was my first time trying Skratch for hydration. I think I prefer the Gu Rocktane, but Skratch is what they'll have at the race, so I'd better get used to it. I don't like that it doesn't dissolve completely. Anyway, I was also lucky that the running conditions on Sunday were perfect so I didn't need super high levels of hydration. I went with about 10 oz. of Skratch every 4 miles, plus an SiS gel. I felt good until 16 miles. Last loop, I went pretty fast as I just wanted it to be over and I also had my good playlist saved for that loop. Also, it helped that there was a chocolate croissant waiting for me in the kitchen and a cat in the catio waiting to go back inside.
My legs feel pretty good so far this week. They were a little heavy on Tuesday, but it felt good to spin them out on the bike today. Hoping to feel a little bouncier tomorrow and Saturday and for a solid long one on Sunday.
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