Running Commentary, October 7, 2011

I’ll admit that my hopes were a little too high.  Three years in a row was simply asking too much, I guess.    All good things must come to an end. 

Looking back, I should have known better.  Coke…done.  Frito pie…done.  Margarita…done.  Grilled cheese…done.  Pizza…done.  Butter…done.  Beer…yes, even beer…done.  There simply wasn’t a lot left.

If you haven’t figured it out yet, I’m talking about the annual State Fair of Texas “Big Tex” Choice Awards for fried food.   Two years ago, it was Abel Gonzales’ deep fried butter taking the creativity crown – a delectable that inspired me to place Gonzales on an almost saintly pedestal. 

It’s hard to top fried butter, but just one year later Mark Zable did just that when he introduced deep fried beer at the fair.  I’ll admit that the concept was much better than the actual product (basically hot Guinness injected into ravioli), but hey, the guy did manage to fry beer without compromising its alcoholic integrity, so I’m willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.     

This year’s winner for creativity?  Deep-fried bubblegum.  Nothing against bubblegum mind you, it’s just not…well…butter or beer.  Do you eat it or just chew it and, if you swallow it, does it take seven years to digest or is that just an urban legend?  Frankly, I just don’t get it.

O.K., to be fair, I discovered that the treat is not actually bubblegum at all, but rather bubblegum-flavored marshmallows that are battered and deep fried before being covered with powdered sugar and icing.  That’s a little better, but hell, I could make dirt taste pretty good if you gave me enough powdered sugar and icing. 

I honestly don’t know what I was expecting this year.  I pinned my hopes on Gonzales who, in addition to the butter, introduced the world to fried Coke and fried PB&J sandwiches, but even he disappointed me this time with his fried pineapple upside down cake.  C’mon, Abel…this is the freakin’ State Fair of Texas, not a Chi O rush party!

Just when I was considering putting my coveted TX-OU tickets on Craigslist, I received a tip.  Somehow lost in the flurry of fried fodder was a new entry from long-time fair vendor Ruth’s Tamales, a mysterious dish called Deep Fried Southern Hospitality.    With such an intriguing name, I had to learn more and, boy, I’m certainly glad I did. 

Ruth’s creation combines seasoned pork, collard greens and cornbread all placed in a cone, deep-fried and then served on a stick.  Hey, you can’t spell hospital without hospitality and this recipe is an express ticket to Parkland.  It’s pure genius!  How this one got overlooked in the creativity category I’ll never know.

So if you are looking for me this weekend, I’ll be the guy celebrating the Horns’ win with a stick in one hand, a non-fried beer in the other and a write-in petition for Ruth somehow cradled in my arms.  Hook ‘em. 

Running Commentary, September 23, 2011

If you’ve read Christopher McDougall’s book, Born to Run, you’re probably familiar with Gordon Ainsleigh.  Ainsleigh is the guy who, on August 3, 1974, joined 198 other riders for the 19^th annual Western States Trail Ride, a 100-mile horse ride from Squaw Valley to Auburn.  The original purpose of the ride was to prove that the modern-day horse could still cover a long distance over rugged terrain in a single day. 

Trouble was, Ainsleigh’s horse pulled up lame just before the start.  Game over, right?  There’s always next year, eh Gordy?  Not a chance.  Ainsleigh decided to cover the distance on foot.  You read right…on foot. 

23 hours and 42 minutes later, Gordon Ainsleigh arrived in Auburn with 18 minutes to spare and, in the process, invented the modern-day ultra-marathon.   The races in 1975 and 1976 attracted only one runner each, but it gained momentum in 1977 when sixteen runners attempted the brutal course.  Today, the Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run annually reaches capacity as male and female runners from all over the world tackle the challenging terrain in a quest for the silver belt buckle given to finishers.

When Ainsleigh ran in 1974, ultra-marathoning was largely non-existent.  Sure, there were a handful of long-standing distance runs, but really nothing in the United States.  Today, there are several hundred races each year, most at full capacity, and it all can be traced to Gordon Ainsleigh’s decision to run back in 1974.

All of us face similar dilemmas in our professional, academic and personal lives.  Maybe it’s a lack of resources on a project.  Perhaps it’s an unrealistic deadline.  Possibly it’s the seemingly never-ending balance to maintain work, school and a personal life.  The roadblocks are inevitable.  How we handle them is what makes a difference.

I encourage you to reflect on this story from time-to-time and, when faced with these decisions, be willing to think like Ainsleigh and cover the distance by foot if necessary.  After all, that’s how we truly change the world.