If I had fought in the Civil War, I think the hardest part for me would have been the inconsistent supply of coffee. And maybe all the bacon they ate which would have made for rough going what with being a vegetarian at all. Hard tack and honey is not so bad, but no coffee may well have done me in. They solved that by the Second World War with the invention of instant coffee. “Invention” being somewhat loosely used in this instance. Like Columbus “discovering” America, some WWII army dude walked into a Quonset hut where the coffee pot had been left on all day, scraped the tar off the bottom, mixed it with tap water, and said “Hey! Coffee!”
So that is how it came to be that my grandparents, and everyone in their generation, drank instant coffee that tastes like burnt coffee. The also called all decaf coffee “Sanka.” It was very elegant to ask if your guests would like some Sanka after dinner. There are those for who Sanka is about as interesting as Near Beer. Seriously, why would anyone bother? Well, some of us are either more sensitive or more finely tuned that others. I will choose finely tuned.
The tuning getting more fine as the days progress toward the Hell of the Highcountry this weekend. In a concession to the tradition of tapering, I have been taking shorter runs so far this week. Today’s was a lovely jaunt beside the trail of the Suwaree, around the River Bend pasture. The cattle were just waking in the lee of the ridge, seeking the tender shoots of grass near the fences. Fortunately, I did not encounter any bear on Suicide Ridge, their summer domain. What I did encounter was a lovely, fun run. This slightly shorter taper does seem to be doing it’s job of allowing some rest while breaking the monotony of training.
So what I do when I’m not running is as important this week as what I do when I run. That includes making sure I have enough fluids going in as fluids going out. Caffeine is, of course, a diuretic. (That means it makes you pee.) I happen to like the taste of coffee as well as its effect. Sipping a fresh cuppa joe while watching skinny men fall on cobblestones is a rare pleasure. Therefore, I will brew up a bit of Sanka and enjoy this hellish day on le Tour de France. Thanks, Gramps!