The Cinnamon Challenge

A couple of weeks ago we were at a dinner party discussing dares that are almost impossible to complete, like drinking a gallon of milk in an hour with out vomitting. Stupid dares like that. One the guys brought up the Cinnamon Challenge. None of us had heard of this dare before. Essentially the goal is to eat one tablespoon of cinnamon. I wish I had seen this video before getting egged on by Kelly and everyone else to give it a shot. Needless to say I failed the challenge.

Fun in the Snow

Kelly and I headed out to Palos Forest Preserve on Saturday, along with Bernie for some hiking in the snow. The weather was comfortable, upper 20's with 3-4" of the white stuff on the trails. We hiked a lot of the trails I ride during the Summer, and it was amazing how a trail seems completely different, and it was grat not running into a bunch of people. The whole hike we saw two mountain bikers and one cross country skier. We decided if Bernie were a sled dog, he would have to be the lead dog. He can't stand it if he is not the one blazing the trail. We hiked for about two hours and were beat by the end. Hiking in snow really works the legs, especially the calves.

Bernie on the track of some creature.

The winter landscape of Illinois

Bernie leading us on the trail.

Bernie sporting some sweet leg warmers.

Moroccan Braised Beef and Orzo with Roasted Vegetables

Kelly and I made these dishes on Sunday. Originally they weren't meant to go together, but ended up working nicely together. The orzo is on of our favorites. The recipe can be found here. The recipe calls for a lot of dressing and this time we cut it in half and it was still really good. The orzo is a great thing to make at the beginning of the week and can be munched on for several days. This was my first time making the Moroccan beef, and it turned out really good. The preparation is really easy, with the main wait being that beef needs an hour and a half of slow cooking to be tender. Prep time for the beef was only about 20 minutes. The recipe can be found here. It is pretty spicy, so if you don't like hot stuff cut back on the paprika and Cayenne pepper. I also think this would be a great recipe to make with lamb.

Banjo out of Tune

The last four or five months I've had some pain in my right knee, mostly when running, but it recently started bothering me on the bike. Essentially my knee would tighten up after a few minutes of running or after a bit longer on the bike. I finally came to the conclusion it wasn't getting any better and made an appointment to see a Orthopedist. The Doctor took some X-Rays and found no structural damage, good news! Upon his physical exam he found the my IT band was super tight and most likely the cause of the pain. He described my IT band as "Banjo stringing" and the "Tightest he had ever seen". Not good, but he does think with a month of physical therapy and home excersises it should be back to normal. I am glad to hopefully have figured out the cause of the pain. I was hesitant to see a doctor during cross season, as I really wanted to keep racing, and was worried I was going to be told to stop exercising. I guess I am lucky it wasn't a major issue, and I really hope this next month will get it back to normal. Hopefully it also explains why I was so slow running up Cricket Hill at the State Championships.

East Coast Flava

So I don't know this guy personally but I do know that he builds some of the sweetest lug crossers you can find. Frames so nice that I inquired about one only find out he was moving and taking a year off from building. Now I find out that he is moving north of the cheddar curtain just in time for next years cross season. I look forward to toeing the line with him and getting a personal glimpse of his personal rig. I am sure he will bring some east coast tricks for us midwesterners.

Bernie Got His Hair Did

BEFORE

AFTER

Bernie had a Hangover

I think Bernie had too much fun harassing his arch nemesis, Sophie. over the holiday and had a hangover on New Years Day. He was beat and did a lot of sleeping on New Years Day.

Bernie antagonizing Sophie

Sophie giving him the evil eye

Here is Bernie on New Years Day