Doesn’t Get Easier and Francois Payard’s Chocolate-Ginger Angel Food Cake

This morning I ran my fourth 20 miler.  Why wasn’t it any easier?  When I got to the grocery store, I just knew getting out of the car was going to be painful.  It was.  I loosened up after a minute, but still, why doesn’t it get any easier?  I wonder what happened to this thing called “muscle memory”.  Maybe my leg muscles suffer from memory loss. Lack of sleep?  Not enough vitamin B12?  Or just plain stubborn muscles?  Any which way, I’m not happy with my legs so I’ll make them suffer JUST ONE MORE TIME before totally putting them through the ringer on November 20th.

Shane and I started off in the dark but by the time I was running on my own, the sun was up and it was a beautiful crisp, fresh, Fall morning.  It put me in the mood for a trail run so I meandered through the switchbacks.  No one else was around.

The hills were tough especially since I was tackling them at 11 miles.  But the freshness of the woods then the overlook at the Eagle somehow gave me an energy boost.

By the time I was one mile from home, I was talking to myself muttering things such as “I just want to be home”…”shut up and get through it”…”only a few more minutes, just do it”…”GEESH! I wish I was done!”   It was a tough run.  The hills right from the start and all the way through challenged my legs like they haven’t been challenged in a while.  As I read earlier this week online, hills are the “other” speed work.   Guess it was all good in the end.

My one worthwhile deed for the day:   Washing the car

Oh! Wait, I’ve done two worthwhile deeds, this is the second one:

October’s Chocolate with Francois recipe chosen by Leslie of Lethally Delicious.

Chocolate – Ginger Angel Food Cake by Francois Payard *I cut the recipe in half and this is what I did.

• 2 TBS Candied ginger *Francois offers the recipe to make your own.  Please see Leslie’s post if you want to make your own. However, being a distance runner who sometimes suffers an upset stomach after a long run, candied ginger can always be found in our house so I used what I had on hand instead of making more.
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup confectioners sugar
• 1/4 cup Cocoa Powder (Dutch Processed of course)
• 1/3 tsp ground ginger
• 4 egg whites
• 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
• pinch of salt
• 1/2 TBS vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• Chocolate glaze to garnish

Chop the ginger into 1/4 inch or smaller slices. Set some aside for garnish.

Preheat oven to 350 F. Mix the flour, confectioners sugar, cocoa, and ground ginger together.

Beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar, salt and vanilla.  When the whites peak, gradually add the granulated sugar, 1/3rd at a time.

Gently stir in the dry ingredients.

Turn mixture into an ungreased cake pan (I did spray my pan a little with non-stick and it was a good thing I did!).  Bake for 30 minutes.

Allow to cool completely before removing from pan.

The result was a slightly chewy texture. It wasn’t as light as the angel food cakes I’m used to but the flavor takes top prize.  It was good.  I liked it best without the added slice of ginger from the top.  Good pick Leslie.  We’ll enjoy nibbling away at this one.