Midweek Mashup
Oh, hi there! Is it just me, or does it feel like a weird week? Maybe it’s because of the time change, or maybe it’s because my daughter has spring break so we’re out of our normal school routine. Whatever it is, I’m embracing it. It feels like a slight pause in the middle of regular life, and a pause can be nice. Here’s what’s going on right now: Still Reading… The Choice, a memoir by Edith Eva Eger. Her story continues to be fascinating. After being liberated from the nazis, she came to America where- guess what?- life was no picnic either. People were SO MEAN to the immigrants! It’s heartbreaking- why couldn’t people just be nice? Of course, no one knew she was an Auschwitz survivor, but that’s just a reminder to always be extra kind to everyone you meet- you never know what they’re going through. This is an amazing book. Dreaming about… A trip this summer. In The Choice, Edith tells how her family moved from Baltimore- where they were treated terribly- to El Paso, Texas. She describes El Paso as having a more European feel, and says it was a city welcoming to immigrants. Until this year, Texas was a state I never thought about visiting. But now that my son goes to school there, I’m much more interested in it. Now I’m finding myself googling “Things to do in El Paso” and “Vegan restaurants in El Paso.” Yes, there are vegan food options, and there’s lots of museums, including a Holocaust museum. Who knew? My family has no idea I’m secretly plotting a trip to El Paso, and frankly I doubt it’ll go over well. After our trip to Austin last summer, my daughter announced she never wants to go to Texas in the summer again. So… we’ll see. I can dream though. Planning… A St Patrick’s Day dinner. Every year I make soda bread, and we never like it. Then when March rolls around again I start seeing recipes for soda bread and think “that sounds good!” So I’ll probably be making soda bread, ha ha (“live and don’t learn” is one of my mottos.) I’m considering a vegan Irish stew to go with it, and am contemplating drinking a beer. I LOVE beer, but I rarely drink it anymore. I would probably enjoy the first three sips, and then feel tipsy and bloated. Maybe I’ll have an Olipop root beer instead. Enjoying… Some extra yoga this week. My left hip is feeling achy- not sure how that happened. It didn’t hurt when I ran today (phew) but during the rest of the day it’s letting me know it’s not happy. So… yoga! Last week I only did one class, but now that my son is gone and I have my yoga studio back, I’ve been doing yoga every day. My whole body feels so good after a yoga class. And finally… I’m sleeping in tomorrow! I don’t have work, it’s not a running day, and my daughter doesn’t have school, so I can sleep till 8:00. Sometimes I have trouble sleeping at night, but I never have trouble sleeping from 6am-8am (the hours I’m usually up and running around.). I’m going to enjoy those two extra hours to the fullest! How about you? Does this week feel different to you? Are you planning a trip this summer? Any plans for St. Patrick’s Day?
Weekly Rundown- Pi Runs!
Well, that week went fast. In addition to linking with Kim and Deborah for this weekly rundown, I jumped into Kim’s #WeekOfPi with some pi runs of my own. I couldn’t run 3.14 miles every day (oh, hello left foot!) but I did three pi runs. Let’s just see how this week played out… Monday First pi run of the week! 3.14 miles, followed by the first class of Crush Your Core 2, week 4. It’s the last week of the program! Emma Lovewell was in fine form. Tuesday Started the day with core class#2, then did a 20 minutes glutes and legs strength with Ben Alldis (all strength classes were on Peloton.) I liked this class! No plyometrics, just straightforward moves. Later in the day I did a 30 minute yoga flow. Sadly, this was my ONLY yoga class of the week. My son was home for spring break, which meant I lost my “yoga studio” (aka his bedroom.) It was hard to maneuver myself and my mat around the house and not be disturbed by people and cats. Wednesday Another pi run! 3.14 miles, followed by core class #3. Thursday I did the same Ben Alldis glute and leg strength class, followed by pull-ups. Still working on those! Friday Third and final pi run of the week! 3.14 miles, followed by core class #4. I was definitely getting into a pattern here. Saturday Finished the Crush Your Core program with the last 20 minute class! To be honest, I’m NOT happy this program is over. I liked not having to think about it- I just went to Peloton each day and was told which class was next. I’ll definitely keep taking core classes, but now I’ll have to choose them myself. After that I did my own strength work- lower body and pull-ups. I like the Peloton classes, but sometimes I just like to do my own thing. I know how to do lunges and squats. I do have to admit- grudgingly- that while I still can’t say I “enjoy” strength training, I like the way it makes me feel afterwards. There’s something exhilarating about it. And I like how I’m more aware of my muscles during the rest of the day. If I turn to the side I’ll think “Oh, there’s my obliques!” or if I pull something toward me, I’ll notice my lats working. Now if only I could run as much as I want, do the strength training, and do yoga every day. Hmm. I may have to quit my job to make time for all this. We had a “goodbye” dinner for my son with veggie burgers, coleslaw and buffalo cauliflower- yum! Sunday Here’s a little tip! If you’re booking an early morning flight on a Sunday in March, you might want to check and make sure it’s not the beginning of Daylight Saving Time. My son goes back to college today, and we had to get up at 5 am to get him to the airport- except IT FELT LIKE 4 AM, AAAAUUUGH! Nothing like adding insult to injury- it’s already hard enough to say goodbye to him. On tap for today- my “long’ run of five miles, and possibly- since I have my yoga studio back- a yoga class. Do you like turning the clocks ahead? – I do not. Does anyone have any good core classes to recommend, now that I’ve finished Crush Your Core 2?
Five Fun Friday Things
Yay! Even though I work on Saturdays, I can’t help feeling festive on Fridays. I love “Friday Favorites” type posts, so here are a few of my favorite things lately. Olipop! Olipop is a “healthy” soda, sweetened with cassava syrup, fruit juice, and stevia. It has 2-5 grams of sugar (depending on the flavor). prebiotics, and 9 grams of fiber. It’s advertised as tasting “just like soda” and to that I say- no. I was disappointed in the Cola, although someone left a review saying that if you put it in a glass with one ice cube, it tastes just like Diet Pepsi (I love these detailed reviews!) Well, I never drank Diet Pepsi- I was a real Coke person. The root beer flavor was better, but the true winner is grape, with orange coming in second. I’ve been having one or two a week, and when I have one I love to say “I’m having a pop.” Growing up, that’s what we called soda. It seems so weird now- “pop?” I’ve called it soda for years and years- ever since I moved away from Chicago. But calling it “pop” is strangely satisfying- I guess I’m getting back to my midwestern roots. My son and I have been watching the first two films in the Fantastic Beast series on HBO Max. The films are written by J.K. Rowling and could be considered a prequel to Harry Potter. The main character is Newt Scamander, future author of one of Harry’s textbooks. There are no books to go along with these films, other than the screenplays. My son read the screenplays and has already watched the movies, so he filled me in on a few things because these films are complicated. The third one is coming out in April, and I can’t wait! Secrets of Dumbledore will be revealed. It feels good to be immersed in the Wizarding World once again. Okay, I guess a memoir about Auschwitz can’t really be considered “fun.” Nicole recommended this book and it truly is incredible. Considering what happened to her- barely surviving the horrific events of the Holocaust- Edith Eger could have written a book along the lines of “Boy, did I get the short end of the stick, and you’re all going to hear about it,” but instead she wrote this inspiring book with the intention of helping other people to free themselves from pain and suffering. One word of warning- on the first day I read about thirty pages, and that night I woke up in the middle of the night and couldn’t stop thinking about it. So, safe to say there are some haunting scenes. I’m about halfway through it and it’s hard to put down. A “favorites” post wouldn’t be complete without waffles. Elisabeth has talked about her favorite oat waffles recipe, and I remembered that I used to make something similar, but without the eggs. I found my old recipe- it’s basically two cups of oats, two cups of milk (any kind), a banana, and any flavorings you want to add in- I used cinnamon and a little salt, and also added some hemp and chia seeds for added nutrition. You blend it all up, pour it in the waffle maker and voila! Quick, easy and delicious waffles. I love waffles. Lastly, a podcast! This episode of Trail Runner Nation with Hillary Allen, where she describes her trail running accident. She fell 150 feet off the side of a cliff, and broke bones in her back, wrists, ribs, and tore the ligaments in her ankles. Of course her doctor told her she wouldn’t be able to run again (why do doctors love to say that?) but she got through her recovery by telling herself “my best athletic days are ahead of me.” She was right- she recovered from that accident and went on to win several big ultramarathons. Definitely worth a listen if you’re struggling with injuries- or any kind of setback right now. That’s what I’ve been watching, listening to, reading, eating and drinking lately! I’m linking up with Michelle, Darlene, Jenn, Zenaida and Renee for this post. And now a very important question: Soda, or pop? Does anyone still call it pop?
Allow Your Timing
In my last post, I shared my frustrations with my foot. After eight shockwave treatments and new orthotics, it’s still painful to get out of bed in the morning, and limits the speed and distance of my runs. I’m trying hard to put everything in perspective. I imagine myself saying to a Ukrainian refugee, “My foot hurts! Well, it doesn’t hurt all the time, just sometimes, and I can’t run more than five miles at a time. I mean, what kind of life is that?” Don’t. Be. Ridiculous. But acceptance is a tricky thing. On the one hand, this is really not okay. It’s not okay that I’ve been dealing with this for ALMOST TWO YEARS, spent thousands of dollars, and still am not really positive of the diagnosis. But… this is where I am right now. To fight against it would be like ranting and raving about the fact that the grass is green. Thanks to Nicole, I’ve been reading a chapter of Wake Up to the Joy of You: 52 Meditations and Practices for a Calmer, Happier Life every week. This week’s chapter was “Allow Your Timing.” The chapter starts with a quote from A.A.Milne: Rivers know this: there is no hurry. We shall get there some day. Ah, perfect! Funny how, when you’re on the lookout for it, the right thing seems to come to you. In the guided meditation part of this chapter- (by the way, I never actually do the guided meditations. I’m not sure how you’re supposed to do a guided meditation from a book- have someone read it to you? I just read it to myself and think it over) – there is this: “Bring your heart present in this moment and accept that at this moment, things are perfect just the way they are. Take your time and do everything you do, but slow down in such a way that you relish and cherish everything that is going on in your life.” So what is there to cherish right now? SO MUCH! To start with… running. Believe me, I know the difference between being able to run a little and not being able to run at all. I’ve had some long layoffs due to injury, and it’s a whole different life. Not only can I run, but I live in Florida where it’s sunny almost every day. I grew up in the midwest and I can remember those dark winters. My family is healthy. My son is home right now, but when he goes back to school I know he’s returning to a school he loves. How lucky is that? My daughter has her challenges- as do all thirteen-year-old girls!- but she gets good grades and enjoys school. Most likely there will be some rocky times ahead with one or both kids- why not enjoy this moment where both kids are happy? Don’t get me wrong- I’m no Zen master. I’ve fought against this- ran too far, gotten angry, sworn, and last week I briefly entertained the fantasy of strangling my doctor. But I’m trying. I try to remind myself- like the river, my foot and I will get there someday. What was your worst injury? This is definitely my longest, but it’s hard to call it the “worst” because I’ve been able to run through it (for the most part.) What are you cherishing in your life right now?