The Sticky Bun Run

A couple of weeks before Thanksgiving DH and I saw an advertisement for a Turkey Trot in a nearby town.  In our lives BF (you know, Before the Farm) we enjoyed running and biking.  There was even a time when we regularly trained and competed in local races; 5Ks, 10Ks and even some half marathons and a triathlon.  Our lives here are very busy and active but we've not run or biked regularly since we've moved.  Still, we thought, we would enjoy a 5K on Thanksgiving morning.

Then DH looked into it and discovered it was not a 5K but a 10K.  We knew we were in no shape to run a 10K, plus we wanted DD and DS to run, too.  So we decided to make up our own.

DH looked on a map and measured out (approximately) a 3.2 mile route from our house.  We would run up the lane, down the road, turn between two specific telephone poles, angle across a neighbor's corn field, down a hill, across a stream, up a steep hill, hug the treeline along two more fields, down another hill, up another steep hill, turn right and run to the next road then turn around and run home along the road.

He showed it to me on the map.  It looked like waaaay longer than 3.2 miles.  It looked like forever.  I told him I'd do the first part - to about the third field - and then I'd run home and put the sticky buns in the oven.  Hey, someone has to be in charge of the sticky buns!

The day before, DH and I saddled up Rio and Calico and headed across the fields to preview our route.  We took along white, plastic grocery bags to rip into lengths and tie up into a couple of trees to mark our path.  (Good thing we had quiet horses as we flapped around on their backs with plastic bags!)

We even made t-shirts.

 

The front of the t-shirt has a picture of a sticky bun and it says, "1st Annual Sticky Bun Run.  November 22, 2012."

 

The back reads, "Run Your Buns Off."

 

I made the mistake of bringing along our large puppy, Jack, on the run.  He's been running with me before and, by the end of the run, he'd been behaving himself pretty well.  By the morning of the Sticky Bun Run he had completely forgotten all his previous training.  He pulled me along so much he nearly pulled me off my feet; he ran in front of me and stopped; he tried to stop at each interesting smell; he stopped and barked at every dog we passed; he ran between my legs, etcetera, etcetera FOR THE ENTIRE RUN . . . It was awful!

 

I ended up walking the majority of it out of sheer self-preservation.  DD walked with me.  Poor girl had felt sick and feverish the day before but she was willing to try.  DS and DH ran ahead.  DS finished most of the route we had planned and DH ran the whole thing.  He's awesome!

 

I went home and put the sticky buns in the oven.  It's a recipe called "Best Ever Sticky Buns" and they really are.  We only make them once or twice a year, during the holidays, otherwise we'd be eating them all the time.

 

Best Ever Sticky Buns

 

2 loaves frozen bread dough, thawed (I often will make bread dough in our bread machine instead of buying them frozen.)
Walnuts or pecans, optional
1 stick butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 large package of vanilla pudding - NOT instant
2 tsp. cinnamon
2 T. milk

(True confession time -- sometimes I double the "goo" part of the recipe.)

Grease bottom of a 9x13 pan.  Put nuts in pan.  Roll dough into walnut-size pieces.  Place in pan on top of nuts.  Heat together butter, sugar, pudding, cinnamon and milk until butter is melted.  Pour over dough.  Refrigerate overnight.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes the next morning.  Enjoy! 

Hope your Thanksgiving Day was delicious and full of thanksgiving!