Weekend Warriors

We kicked off the weekend with dinner at our favorite Japanese Restaurant, Kishi.  Fueled with delicious fish and warm rice, we summoned the energy to attend Comedy Sports at the high school, where several of my former students were showcasing their quick wits!  Saturday morning offered seven miles that I seemingly ran in my sleep.  Perhaps due to the overcast weather, impending rain, and cool temps; this run seemed effortless. Last time I ran this very same route, I felt I barely could drag my exhausted body home.  For whatever reason, this weekend it seemed super easy.  Moving fast resulted in staying warm or so it seemed.  When I got home, I drank water and stretched out before hopping into a warm shower, so I was surprised to find that my lips were still a shade of pale blue 30 minutes after getting home.   I guess my speedy pace didn’t keep me as warm as I thought. 

No time to dwell on my great run or chilly countenance, after a quick breakfast and some coffee it was time to trek over to the Bernard Field Station for the LEEP open house.  The B.F.S. is an awesome chunk of preserved native land owned by the colleges for biological research.  Lucky me, I get to take 36 6^th graders for weekly hikes and lessons in the field.  As a part of the Leadership in Environmental Education Partnership in which Pitzer students get to practice teaching environmental lessons under my stewardship, my elementary students get some awesome outdoor learning, as well.  It is far and away my favorite part of teaching each spring.  Saturday was a day where the B.F.S was open to the public for families to see what their students have been learning all semester.  I took the opportunity to tour my good friend Talia and her mom around the field station.  Walking about ¾ of a mile from home to the gates and hiking a couple miles on the trails of the 88 acres of sage scrub, oak woodlands and Riparian habitat that is the B.F.S  and hoofing it back home to grab lunch with Greg before he headed off to work, added at least another three miles to the day’s total.  I managed to make it inside with my seed collection to plan my spring garden before the rain started to fall.  The pitter-patter of raindrops on my roof was the perfect invitation to an afternoon nap.  With beautiful images of purple Penstemon in a wildflower flourish decorating the foreground and cream-colored spice-scented Elder blossoms punctuating the green trees, only sweet dreams can follow.

After our usual trip to the farmer’s market, Sunday was all about planting my spring garden.  Greg had hired the next-door neighbor’s gardeners to help him attack the weeds with some manpower on Saturday when I was at the LEEP Open House.  The result was easy access to my raised beds.  I planted dry shelling beans, basil, nasturtiums, edamame, zucchini, yellow squash, 6 varieties of winter squash, 2 varieties of pumpkin, pole beans, sunflowers, eggplant and peppers in addition to the 6 tomato plants, strawberries, lettuce, carrots, celery and radishes that are already growing in the front and back yard. I still have about 3 more beds to weed and some herbs to trim back before I can plant the remaining melons, cucumbers and gourds that I hope to get in the ground before it gets too hot.  Knowing I’ll be busy with yoga training next weekend, it will be at least two weeks until I get to spend substantial time in the garden again.  Still I’m more than ¾ of the way done with planting for the season and that is a good feeling. 

Any weekend that results in this pile of shoes by the back door is a good one.  We’ve amassed running shoes, hiking or trail shoes, street shoes or farmer’s-market-going-shoes, and gardening shoes.  This is a good reminder that my feet have been busy this weekend.  I’m hoping to put my feet up tonight and rest a bit before early morning yoga teaching kicks off a busy week tomorrow morning. 

Maintaining Mileage

The pomegranate tree in my front yard is blossoming and spring has sprung in Claremont!

Keeping up with my running during yoga weekends has kept me challenged and creative this spring.  Over the years I have slowly grown my running mileage from running a mile 2-3 times a week when I started, eventually creeping up to 5 miles a week, and even more slowly making my way to 10.  I had just given my distance another nudge last summer from 10 to 12 and I was often managing 15 when we were on vacation in Maui, because it is such a beautiful place to run.  So when I started yoga teacher training I knew that I would be adding more physical demands to my already challenging expectations, so I decided to dial back my mileage, aiming for 10-12 miles per week during the non-teacher training weeks (I would still be taking extra yoga classes in between and teaching) seemed manageable.  Then giving my self the option to drop to 8-10 miles on a week where I’ve had a yoga weekend (which involve many physical practices in addition to our studies) seemed only fair. 

However, listening to my body is hard for me.  Over the last four days I’ve logged 8 running miles, walked nearly 5 miles, and completed almost 300 minutes of yoga.  That is a lot! So when I feel the need to take naps or go to bed at 8pm, I know that my body is asking for assistance to manage all I am asking of it.  I don’t mention my training to brag or boast.  I am proud of my commitment to fitness because it is a hard won victory for me.  While I danced moderately growing up, I never played sports, my time on the track team in high school was very short lived, and I mostly did aerobics and dance because I knew I needed to do something physical to be healthy but I was always much happier dreaming and imagining in my head rather than laboring in my body.  My mind did not like to work out most of my life.  So that was a shift.

It’s not all rippling muscles and rainbows.  Most of the time all of this exercise makes me tired, hungry, and sore.  I try to get plenty of sleep, healthy food, and creative methods for soaking, rubbing and treating my achy muscles but there is work to do, a house to clean, a garden to tend, friends and family visit basically there is life to live. Making time to give your body all it needs for optimal healthy is not easy. It is a commitment.   

Seeing my running practice thrive in light of the strength and flexibility I gain though yoga is thrilling.  Knowing that my yoga is strengthened by the cardiovascular fitness I gain through running is reassuring, as I see my growth and development in yoga, I know I still have a long way to go but I have a lifetime to get there and if not “there” closer. 

Here are some highlights from the last four days.  On Friday night my mom and I had a lovely meal at Bardot before going to see the dance concert at Scripps that Greg has been working so hard at behind the scenes all week.  Aren’t these beautiful salads?

I went on a nature run after yoga training on Saturday.  While I love being in the studio all day, I miss the outdoors.   Just over a mile round trip, but it was more about being outside than mileage that evening. I had just enough time before dinner to cruise around the school of Theology in my running shoes and catch sight of this beautiful sunset. 

I have done lots of this the last two days to get my body feeling back to normal.  (And lots of Deep Blue Rub, and lots of Epsom salts baths, and lots of sleep!) 

Octomom

No, I’m not referring to the miraculous birth of octuplets but rather the amazing discovery I made in my garden this morning.  Greg and I have been absent stewards of our green space lately.  So this past week, while I was on spring break, we did clear some beds, plant some tomatoes, and discover that beneath a blanket of foliage our beautiful daughter aloe plant, who came from the original aloe plant that I nurtured back on 7^th street, had produced many babies during our hiatus from gardening.  

After digging away the weeds and grasses, we found her there, radiant and proud, crowded in by her offspring.  Having gone through the same procedure with her mom, I was excited to help her babies make their own roots and let her spread her leaves. 

After carefully clearing the leaf litter from her base, I carefully plucked each young aloe out of its spot, snuggled up next to mom, and found that they eagerly released their roots for an opportunity to strike out on their own.  Each young one was nestled into a pot of cactus potting mix, luckily I collect terra cotta pots like they are going out of style, so we had plenty of homes for each of these beautiful beings.  After all was said and done, Mama aloe basked in the dying light of the day, growing visibly healthier in her gracious space and looking on proudly at each of her children properly potted nearby, ready to establish their own family in the future. 

The Saturday Seven

Seven miles seemed very daunting this Saturday morning; but the Saturday Seven, that is my norm.  I run seven miles every Saturday (unless it is a yoga teacher training weekend, then I run the Friday Five instead and try to make up mileage other times throughout the week).  Partially because I had a tummy ache on Thursday night, that hung on through Friday morning, I was wary to go too far or too fast.  After the first mile, I realized, I could either run 7 miles today and I was already up and moving, or do 4 today and 3 tomorrow.  Sleeping in tomorrow sounded like a better option, but I was still having trouble committing to the long haul.  At about the two mile mark, I was looking for a sign to call it quits or keep plugging along at a gentler pace when I rounded the corner and he came into sight. 

I immediately dubbed him Slender Santa.  A tall white haired gentleman, dressed all in red from his long sleeved red t-shirt to his tiny crimson jogging shorts, was setting a steady pace for 10 minute miles.  I kept about 20 yards between us and hitched my sleigh to Santa’s steady snow plowing.  (Just to be clear, it was 65 degrees out this morning, all references to snow are metaphorical in nature).  The stretch of my route I was least looking forward to (about ¾ of a mile up an imposing incline) lay ahead, but luckily Santa was cruising in the same direction. I crossed the street, so I wouldn’t seem creepy following him so closely and just kept the red blur of his outfit in sight out of the corner of my eye.  Before I knew it, I was at the top of the hill, resting at one of my favorite drinking fountains.  When I looked up to find my unaware running partner, he was gone, vanished, as if up the chimney with his finger laid along side his nose he rose. 

Grateful that Santa had gotten me through the roughest bit of my run, I felt confident to tackle the downhill.  I came across some other interesting characters but none of them were the rosy beacon that Slender Santa had been. A saintly strider came my way, rubbing the beads of her rosary thoughtfully as she passed.  Then a fellow on a bike, who I instantly named Inspector Gadget for his fancy gear and helmet complete with a GoPro camera brought to mind this cartoon character from the 80s.  This inspector however, was not in search of clues but rather was out for a good time with his Cumbia music pulsing loud from one of his many contraptions, he pumped his fist in the air to the beat of the song as he pedaled uphill.  I wanted to ask him if I could borrow some of his energy for after my run.  Still 3 miles to go and I had a yoga teaching gig scheduled a little later in the morning.  

So I did manage to finish my run, with the help of many distractions this morning.  Many thanks to the other interesting exercise enthusiasts who keep my imagination busy and also to the wildlife that surrounds.  The birds, the bunnies, the horses and other farm yard friends also make for good diversions from the stomach cramps, lethargy, and various other physical challenges that sometimes accompany my love of running.  Today this beautiful elderberry tree in bloom offered perfumed air and a beautiful visual treat to keep my mind on the pleasant side of things. 

I taught my first kids yoga class in a studio today.  My bag of tricks in tow, I had planned a springtime themed class where we did poses that reminded us of spring; butterfly, flower,  tree, rainbow and of course sun salutations. 5 students between the ages of 4 and 8 came to class today.  We played a game of tic tax yoga to review our poses, made an obstacle course of dexterity exercises where we balanced empty strawberry baskets on our bellies and crab walked, moved bunny tails (cotton balls) with our breath and lined them up using only our toes, and a lily pad jump where we hopped over blocks. When the kiddos were somewhat tired out, we made gratitude eggs, somewhat like fortune cookies, we wrote a message of gratitude for them to give to their parents after class and they placed them in a plastic egg.  Class ended when the adults came to our studio for a shared savasana. 

Unlike teaching in a conventional classroom, very little time needed to be spent on classroom management.  This experience much more resembled guided play.  One would think that as an elementary teacher I often get to play with kids, but in all honesty that opportunity rarely if ever comes up.  This was a unique opportunity to enjoy kids discovering, moving, and playing.  I had a good time and it seemed that they did, as well.

Let’s see running, teaching yoga, followed by lunch and some yard work…that’s really just four activities for Saturday.  Perhaps I should have seven to match the seven miles that started my morning.  I think the 5^th will need to be an afternoon nap, if I am ever going to make it to see what 6 and 7 might be! 

Food Flashback

It has not escaped my attention that it has been quite a while since I blogged about food.  Running, yoga and teaching have been taking up the majority of my time and focus but rest assured, I have been eating well.  I am currently enjoying a week off from work, whoever invented spring break deserves a great big hug.  While I enjoyed sunshine and some time in the garden yesterday, storm clouds threatened this afternoon making soup sound like an excellent idea for dinner.  Having noticed that my front yard carrots were at an appropriate height for picking, carrot soup came to mind.  There are few things more satisfying than pulling up a bunch of hearty carrots.  As a home gardener, I would say harvesting a ripe tomato or melon rank right up there, only to be outweighed by cutting a long coveted artichoke from its thistly nest.

My husband Greg loves Karottensuppe and since his first trip to Germany nearly 15 years ago, he has had me working on recreating a particular bowl he enjoyed while in Niedersachsen while staying with a vegetarian friend.  Here is my most recent attempt. 

Karottensuppe  (Carrot Soup)

1 bunch of carrots peeled and chopped

1 onion chopped

1 russet potato peeled and chopped

2 ribs celery chopped

4 cups of veggie broth

1 tsp olive oil or butter

¼ cup half and half

handful of chopped fresh tarragon

a generous sprinkle of nutmeg (fresh grated if possible)

1 tsp white pepper

salt and pepper to taste

(Optional: fresh peas)

Heat oil in the soup pot.  Add onions and cook until translucent.  Add carrots, potatoes, and celery and cover in broth, season with salt and pepper.  Simmer until veggies are very tender.  Remove soup to blender or use immersion blender to puree until smooth.   Add nutmeg and white pepper.  Ladle into soup bowls and top with a drizzle of half and half and a sprinkle of tarragon.  If you like, sprinkle some fresh shelled peas over the top of the soup for freshness and color contrast.  What goes better together than peas and carrots? I didn’t have any fresh peas to put on our soup tonight, but I had found some at the farmer’s market on Sunday  and we ate every last one with our Sunday supper!   

We also had a lovely cheese lunch on Sunday, which I decorated with edible flowers from the garden for some springtime celebration.

Grilled trout topped with an avocado slice accompanied our spicy rice, sautéed mushrooms, and front yard Fava beans and carrots earlier this week. 

There you have it; notable meals from the week in review.  Hopefully you enjoyed my food flashback and even more hopefully, it may inspire me to enliven this week off with a few more meals worth mentioning!