Skanky Apples

Have you ever thought to yourself at the same time, "I really need to go running," and "What am I going to do with these skanky apples?" Yeah, so did I, this afternoon, during our first consistent drizzle snow of the year, the day before Thanksgiving, about an hour before dusk. So, I did what you probably would do: I googled "use old skanky apples" and then made a plan. 

1. Pile on a bunch of winter running gear: Hoka One One Bondi B's (which are still my favorite to the Kailua Tarmacs), Smart Wool pink striped knee sox, New Balance pink and black tights, black Champion running skirt, purple Performance 8 high neck pullover, pink and red Athletech fleece and pink and red Amsterdam hat, and black gloves from The North Face. It's a pretty excellent outfit, if I do say so myself. Any of these companies are more than welcome to contact me about sponsorships.  

2. Grab a running pack: My choice is the Mountain Hardware Fluid 6 pack that I borrowed from my roommate Matthew, who got it at Geoff Roes's amazing running camp in Alaska. I took the water bladder out of the pack so I would be able to fit my groceries. By the way, Geoff's blog is akrunning.blogspot.com and from Matthew's stories and breathtaking photos, I can definitely say that if you're interested in a challenging and rewarding running adventure in Alaska that also includes great food because Geoff is a great cook too, you should try to attend one of his camps.  

3. Head out to the grocery store: On foot. Yes, this is where the running part comes in. Run to the grocery store. If you don't live within a few miles of a grocery, drive to the grocery and start your run from there. Run before you shop. 

4. Walk around the grocery store like you don't look weird in your winter running outfit. Move quickly so you don't cool down too much. Buy your ingredients.  

5. Pack everything up in your running pack. I needed every single ingredient except the apples (actually I didn't need the butter or the cinnamon, but I got them anyway, so 1B. should probably be "Review recipe and check your pantry and refrigerator so you can make a list of ingredients that you need rather than buying extra stuff that you have to run home with). (Incidentally, I give myself extra points for having to run back with the butter and cinnamon - with the added weight I probably burned 25 more calories which makes up for the extra $4 I spent). So, into my pack went: All Purpose Flour, Brown Sugar, Butter, Cinnamon, Steel Cut Oats. That pack can hold quite a bit of stuff.  

6. Run home. You get the bonus of having the weight of the grocery pack on your back which is great practice for trail running where you're usually carrying more water weight and/or food and gear. Congratulations on running to and from the grocery store. You are a genius, you are saving the planet, you are helping your heart and soul and you are a rockstar. You're not actually a rock star, but that's what we say when people do something awesome. Because rock stars are awesome and we all want to be rock stars I guess. Good run! 

7. Make Apple Crisp. 

You will need:

4 Apples

1 cup of each of the following:

Flour 
Steel Cut Oats 
Brown Sugar 
Butter 

And some: 

Cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Then slice, core, seed the apples and cut away anything reeeeeally gross if you are using old apples. Lay them out in an oven proof dish. Toss the rest of the stuff except for the cinnamon together in a bowl and then pour it over the apples. Slice up the butter and place it on top of the mix, evenly distributing the slices. It's going to melt, so NBD where you put it really but try to lay it out in even quadrants. Bake that thing for 45 minutes and then sprinkle cinnamon on top. Serve with Jeni's ice cream. www.jenis.com  Jeni's ice cream is a reason to live. It's life changing. Jeni's should sponsor me too. 

8. Eat apple crisp and ice cream and plan a long run for tomorrow. A really long run.