ZombieRunner Blog

I had good luck making Turkish coffee tonight in a new small Egyptian Ibrik. I used a good amount of ground cardamom and a bit more sugar than the last couple of go-rounds. And I did a little longer infusion between letting the foam rise to the top. The coffee was our Indian Mysore ground in the Rocky on its finest setting. I’m brewing it over the gas burner that I use for making Japanese nabe.

Like espresso preparation, Turkish coffee is an art. I’m not yet an artist, but I’m working on it.

We did the first roast over the weekend with our new Behmor 1600 home roaster — 8 ounces of Sumatra Mandheling. We took it just beyond second crack and it turned out nicely (said a quick test cup made in an Aeropress). Time to test it in a cappuccino…

I think most ultrarunners really dislike speed work or track work or maybe even work for that matter. Running is about enjoying the journey, and many ultrarunners prefer that journey on trails. But some amount of pain is enjoyable too. This morning Don and I went out to Stanford track for a little session, the first time in months (maybe years?). We warmed up and tried mile repeats. After all, as an ultrarunner, anything shorter wouldn’t measure on the scale Don did something like a 7:45 (I think) for his fastest. Mine was 9:10. Yikes! We used to be a lot faster. I remember doing 8 minute mile repeats consistently when I was seriously marathon training. We’re planning on more work over the next couple months.

I think when you have a job you don’t really enjoy, it’s much easier to get out and run. So… we Zombies never get out and run! We love our work too much. Part of the inspiration to get out and run now is to try out new products. I’ve been comparing running skirts and will have a report soon on my findings. Needless to say, the atalanta skirts kick ass!

Gillian