What keeps us going and Banana Stuffed French Toast Bake

We’re all different.  What motivates one person does absolutely nothing for another.  When you do any sport for endurance and you’re out there training for hours at a time alone.  An awful lot of thoughts go through your mind. 

Saturday’s run was a long run and it took me a long time. I was in no hurry.  No plans for the day so I could just jog along and put my time on the road.  Those are the runs I like. No time goals. No need to get home to be ready for an appointment or work, just run with out concern of the clock.  It does get boring and to be quite honest.  When I hit the 12 1/2 mile point, I was thinking “OMG! I haven’t even done a half marathon and I SO want to be home”.  Those kind of thoughts come and go.  You have to lose yourself deep in thought and forget about miles and time and simply continue on.  That’s what its all about.  

What keeps me running, instead of breaking down to a walk, or even quitting completely (like on Saturday) are thoughts of ultra running.  If you read Saturday’s post, I mentioned this about the ultra runners.  They are amazing people.  I’m currently in the middle of the book “The Extra Mile” by Pam Reed.  I’m going to copy an exerp from page 106 – 107 of her book. This is just beyond my PAIN comprehension:

By Craig Bellmann, one of Pam’s support crew during her first running of Badwater in 2002 where she set a women’s record or 27 hours 56 minutes.  Badwater is a 135 mile race across California’s Death Valley in July. 

Craig comments after Pam had completed the race…

So we’re going to go for dinner……. But first, she (Pam) peels off her shoes and socks.  Her feet are just like hamburger – large blisters, blisters on blisters.  Some are broken; you can see bloody flesh.  And she pulls out this little kit – hydrogen peroxide, needles, gauze, ointment.  She very casually pricks and drains all the blisters and cuts away all the loose skin, just like she’s brushing her teeth.  Just two of those blisters would have brought me to my knees.  And she’s acting like they’re nothing.  Then she puts her shoes back on and we go to dinner.

Pam writes…

The next day, Susy and I went for a nice little run and hike to see what we’d missed of Mount Whitney.  I couldn’t help thinking that long after I’d finished, eaten dinner, gone to bed, gotten up again, and enjoyed a morning run, people were still out there on the course, giving their guts to finish.

After reading things like that, a 3 to 4 hour marathon doesn’t seem too bad after all.  Can you even imagine:  27 PLUS hours on your feet, no sleep in 100 PLUS degree temperatures?!!! Amazing … PLUS!

FRENCH TOAST … aka Bread Pudding???

Or…it could very well be called Bread Pudding.  I say if you serve it in the morning with a drizzle of 100% maple syrup, it’s called French toast.  Alternatively, if you heat it up and put a big scoop of ice cream on top of it, it’s called Bread pudding.  Either way, it’s AWESOME!

Makes one large 9 x 13 pan *Cut into serving pieces and place into a freezer bag. Remove servings each day as desired. Simply microwave slightly to defrost then heat in a toaster oven. Drizzle with maple syrup.

• 1 loaf bread, about 15 oz *Crusty loaf bread is best and slightly dried out.
• 1 stick Promise Healthy Heart Margarine or  unsalted butter – melted
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 TBS cinnamon
• 8 large eggs
• 1/3 cup Egg whites (or about 3 egg whites)
• 12 oz Evaporated milk
• 3/4  cup 2% milk
• 4 ripe bananas

Slice the bread in half and brush with the melted butter on both sides.

Cut the bread into squares, about 1 1/2 to 2 inch chunks and place half of the bread on the bottom of the prepared 9 x 13 pan.

Mix the sugar and cinnamon together and sprinkle on top of the bread in the pan.

Slice the bananas and put them all over the bread in the pan.

Top the bananas with the remaining bread chunks. Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar.

Beat the eggs, egg whites and both milks together in a bowl.  Pour over the bread.

Sprinkle with the remaining cinnamon and sugar.

Allow to sit for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 F.  Bake for one hour .

Don’t forget the syrup!

It’s going to be a good week. I can FEEL it! How about you?