Hogs for the Cause Logo
Are you ready for some butt? How about some ribs? Team Hock and Awe is raining down delicious on Saturday’s Hogs for the Cause.
Move to New Orleans: Krewe du Vieux
Everyone loves a party, but in New Orleans, we live for a party. Carnival is a full season of food, fun, and frozen daiquiris, and it constitutes, quite possibly, the biggest city-wide sanctioned party known to modern man. Sure, your downtown may have it’s annual May Day parade, but unless you’ve had the pleasure of vehemently plucking plastic trinkets out of the air, you don’t know what you’re missing during our parades.
The season itself commences after Christmas and extends until Mardi Gras, the Tuesday before the Lenten season. Although several krewes stage parades in the immediate days of the season, the people’s choice for the start of Carnival is a raunchy little walking parade that we affectionately know as Krewe du Vieux.
Krewe du Vieux
The Krewe du Vieux started 25 years ago as an outlet for the preservation of the traditional spirit of Mardi Gras. When parades first started rolling in 1857, Mardi Gras was a venue for satire and artistic expression. Over the years, as Mardi Gras has grown and become more popular, the spirit of the original walking parade has given rise to super krewes. Yes, things change, sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse. Krewe du Vieux rolls to preserve the elements of Carnival that were better in the old days. What started initially as a smaller gathering of maskers has grown into one of the season’s most anticipated events.
Krewe du Vieux consists of seventeen subkrewes, each of which present their own interpretations of the annual theme. This year’s theme commemorates the history of the krewe with “25 Years Wasted.” With names like Krewe de C.R.A.P.S. and the Mystic Krewe of Spermes, I should probably mention that this parade is one you might want to leave the kids home for. The Krewe will walk through the French Quarter and Faubourg Marigny on Saturday, February 19 at 6:30 PM.
The evening should be warmer than previous years, which is good because, as the krewe itself states, “We believe in exposing the world to the true nature of Mardi Gras—and in exposing ourselves to the world.”
Two Days to Race: Lucky #7072
Cheer for me, The Bryan Davis, as I kick some asphalt this Sunday at the Mardi Gras Marathon.
Four Days To Race: Clothing for a Marathon
I hate cold weather. Sorry Jack Frost, but you are definitely my least favorite claymation creation. Normally, I might seek shelter from the cold, but during the Mardi Gras Marathon this Sunday, I will be exposed to the elements for approximately 3.75 hours. I do not want to be cold as I heat things up on the street, so I have gone ahead and purchased some new clothes to accompany me on my epic run for this race. If you are running outside in cold weather, you definitely want to make sure that you are properly clothed. Cold weather will force your muscles to contract a bit, and you want to be loose during your 26.2 mile jaunt. Check out some of the gear I am wearing this Sunday for my marathon.
Marathon Gear
Men’s UA ColdGear® Fitted Mock Tops by Under Armour
Champion Men’s Double Dry Classic Fleece Open Bottom Pant
Puma Men’s Mens 3 Pack Runner
What are you running in for your race? I am always looking for something to keep me warm and comfy during a marathon.
Check out my other posts leading up to the marathon:
Five Days Until Race: Eating for a Marathon
The days before the Mardi Gras Marathon are winding down, and I have started to seriously watch what I eat in preparation for the race. I do not want to look like an idiot and collapse when I go out for this 26.2 mile run. I have heard tell of people stuffing their faces with carbohydrates in efforts to carbo-load before the big run.
However, I have also heard other stories of people puking spaghetti on the sidelines. Again, I don’t want to be that guy. After consulting several other marathon runners, I have come up with a nice list of foods that will be on my table before the Mardi Gras Marathon. You should think about adding some of these foods to your diet too if you’re looking to keep up on race day with yours truly, Forrest Gump.
Marathon Food
- Nuts:
- Nuts, especially almonds, have tones of vitamin E, an antioxidant that will help you kick some asphalt. Plus, the gamma-tocopherol found in many nuts may also help protect against cancer. A win-win my friends.
- White-Meat Chicken
- White-meat chicken is low-fat source for tons of protein. Your average chicken breast contains 24 grams of protein and half the calories of a similarly-sized piece of beef.
- Low-Fat Yogurt
- It’s a good source of protein and calcium, and it will help your digestive tract to avoid…. weird race sensations. The bacteria also has some anti-inflammatory powers that can help with some aches and pains.
- Oranges
- The ideal “fast food,” oranges can supply 100 percent of your daily vitamin C, which will help you experience less muscle soreness. Oranges also have herperidin, which can help with your blood pressure.
- Whole Wheat Pasta
- Pasta is your friend. The body converts carbohydrates into sugars during digestion. The glycogen you process from the pasts will help you build up your ADP, which will be your race fuel.
- Salmon
- Omega-3 fatty acids, found in salmon, offsets cholesterol and reduces the blood clotting. The website cites evidence that one to two servings of fish with omega-3 fatty acids may reduce your risk of heart disease.
- Dark Chocolate
- After all this healthy food, you probably want a bit of indulgence. Well,. it’s ok, because chocolate contains flavonols, which boost heart health. Chocolate flavonols also can ease inflammation. However, the chocolate must be dark; the darker the chocolate, the higher the concentration of flavonols.
Six Days Until Race: Music for My Marathon
The Mardi Gras Marathon is only 6 days away. As many folks know, this race will be my first marathon. I have been training for about 4 months, and I am feeling confident in my ability to finish. With the help of Hal Higdon and his online training guide, I have progressed from my standard 6-mile runs to a 21-mile run last week. I have sworn off booze and chocolate for a few days, and I have embraced resting. I am going to be good; I promise.
As I rest up, I will be preparing a track list of music to accompany my run during the (hopefully) 3 hours and 45 minutes I will be running across New Orleans. I will be updating this list of running music as the mood strikes. If you have any suggestions, let me know.
Music to Run With
- Born to Run: The Boss
- Testify- Rage Against the Machine
- Eye of the Tiger: Survivor
- I Bet You Look Good On the Dancefloor: Arctic Monkeys
- D.A.N.C.E: Justice
- Street Fighting Man: Rolling Stones
- What’s Left of the Flag: Flogging Molly
- 99 Problems: Jay-Z
- Revolution: The Beatles
- Buddy Holly: Weezer
- Stronger: Kanye West
- Uprising: Muse
- Don’t Stop Beleivin’: Journey
- Wake Up: Arcade Fire
- Creep: Radiohead
- Lollipop: Lil Wayne
On This Day in History: I Was Born
Today is January 31, 2011, and I am celebrating my birthday. Yes, I think I am an interesting part of today’s history, but here are some other interesting tidbits from history.
| 1606 | Guy Fawkes, convicted for his part in the Gunpowder Plot against the English Parliament and King James I, was executed. |
| 1797 | Composer Franz Schubert was born in Vienna, Austria. |
| 1865 | Robert E. Lee was named general-in-chief of the Confederate armies. |
| 1917 | Germany announced a policy of unrestricted submarine warfare. |
| 1919 | Baseball Hall of Famer Jackie Robinson, who broke the sport’s color barrier in 1947, was born in Cairo, Ga. |
| 1944 | U.S. forces invaded the Japanese-held Marshall Islands during World War II. |
| 1945 | Private Eddie Slovik became the only U.S. soldier since the Civil War to be executed for desertion. |
| 1949 | The first TV daytime soap opera, “These Are My Children,” was broadcast by the NBC station in Chicago. |
| 1950 | President Harry S. Truman announced that he had ordered development of the hydrogen bomb. |
| 1958 | The United States entered the Space Age with its first successful launch of a satellite into orbit, Explorer I. |
| 1971 | Astronauts Alan B. Shepard Jr., Edgar D. Mitchell and Stuart A. Roosa blasted off aboard Apollo 14 on the third successful manned mission to the moon. |
| 1990 | McDonald’s Corp. opened its first fast-food restaurant in Moscow. |
Meeting of the Mindless
David Brent, the original bumbling boss from the BBC Office, meets face to face with Michael Scott, the exiting head of operations for Duner Mifflin in Scranton. See below for the meeting of destiny.
Sweet and Petite: Hubig’s Pie King Cake
After searching high and low, I finally tracked down the newest product from our friends at Hubig’s Pies. In honor of Carnival season, the baking maestros at the New Orleans staple have cooked up a mini king cake. This year is the first time that the bakery has offered such an item, but single-serve king cakes seem like a perfect fit for the folks who, for years, have supplied us with chocolate, pineapple, apple, blueberry, and sweet potato portable pastries.
Tracking the king cake down is a bit difficult, since this variety of Hubig’s Pie is not available everywhere. However, a trip to the Canal Walgreen’s proved fruitful.
The cake itself is comparable to what you might bite into from Rouse’s and its bakery. The bread is airy and full. Plenty of cinnamon. My only comment would concern the frosting. It needed a bit more to cover the bulbous bread of the cake. However, I am thoroughly satisfied with this new arrival on the king cake scene. Does it give Haydel’s or Gambino’s runs for their respective moneys? You will just have to eat for yourself.
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