teresa

Last weekend Elliott and I ran the Reno Tahoe Odyssey.  This is a relay from Reno, through Truckee, around the lake, through Virginia City and back to Reno.  The teams are 12 people, split into two 6 person vans.  Each person runs (3) legs, Elliott’s and my legs were each below 5 miles which was wonderful since we didn’t do much long distance training.  Elliott had quite a bit of uphill on his legs, and I then ran mostly downhill!

My first leg was just shy of 5 miles.  It was during the day probably at about 3pm, if I remember correctly.  It was blustery out, not hot, not too cold, I think I wore shorts and a shirt.  I ran out of the hand off pretty quickly.  The adrenaline of the “race” and being part of a team is pretty cool.  I was running a little too fast, faster than I thought I could maintain so I eventually metered it down to a more typical pace.  After awhile I did start to feel as if I couldn’t get enough air.  I am not sure if that was all in my head or if I really could feel the elevation distance coming from sea level to high sierras.  I ultimately had a pretty good run, was a little slower than I would have liked, felt like crap, although the idea of the team waiting for me at the end kept me going.  Although it did weigh on my mind that I had two more legs to run.

After that leg I was relieved, I had a protein shake, some dates (carbs, high-glycemic fruit) and almonds my traditional recovery shake in pieces.  I immediately felt better and I like I could run some more, a great feeling to have in the middle of relay!  Elliott and I ran first and second in our van so the next few hours were spent dropping off runners at their starts, cheering them on along the way while driving by and then picking up a runner and dropping a new one off.  Its quite an experience.  Its a bit rushed because there is this hurry to get the next runner to the next check station so they can put on their shoes, stretch and go to the bathroom before the previous runner shows up.  Then you hydrate that runner, let them stretch, and get back in the car and do it again.

After our last runner completed their leg it was time for dinner.  We drove ahead past the legs our other van would be doing and parked where we would pick up in South Lake Tahoe.  There was a Baja Fresh in the parking lot so that became our dinner spot.  I ate a burrito much larger than anything I have had in one sitting in awhile although I justified that I needed my energy.  I don’t think that hurt me later except for a few almost emergency trips to the port-a-potty that were perfectly timed before runs, during or after would have been much more uncomfortable, well then…

After dinner it was time to catch some sleep.  Part of our van went to a friends house and the three of us with the first three legs spread out in the truck in the parking lot to get some sleep before we would run again.  I sprawled out in the back seat, Elliott slept in the passenger seat and Leon slept in the driver’s seat.  I use the word slept loosely, personally I may have slept for 1 hour at most, even though we were laying down in the truck for almost 2 hours.  Between the noise of the other runner in the parking lot, the lights, and just the excitement of the entire event it was tough to sleep.

Elliott was first to run so he got up and started waking up his muscles by walking around outside.  I stayed in the warmer truck until I had to get out to cheer him off.  He had a long grueling run up Kingsbury summit.  As we drove up it Leon and I felt so bad for Elliott who we knew would be trekking up it one foot in front of the other.  I hate hills.  Thank goodness I didn’t have to run up it.  I would have been miserable.  Elliott though he has a strong low gear and he powered up the hill in great time.  He handed the headlamp off to me, and in my blinking vest I took off down the grade.  My run was a little over 4 miles of pure downhill.  I have never run downhill like that before.  It was a wierd experience.  You could almost run effortlessly, and fast.  I struggled to get my headlamp right where I could see in front of me without the bouncing of the light in my face.  I held the lamp for awhile and eventually settled into having it on my head.  It was dark, and quite.  I saw a few runners only.  I was passed by two guys who I tried to keep in my sights to keep my sanity but both of them eventually pulled away.  My mind was pretty busy.  I was happy each time I saw a car or headlights just to know I wasn’t totally alone out there.  At one point I saw a car coming the other way and these huge fast moving shadows shot across the guardrail on the other side of the road.  I was sure it was that of two bears and I braced for a quick and painless attack.  Although as the car passed there was nothing.  I convinced myself it was just the shadow of the car and I picked up the pace I continued down the hill.  When I finally saw the accumulation of cars and people at the check point I bounded even faster, I had made it.  I hadn’t been eaten by a bear or kidnapped by some man looking for a hot sweaty runner chick.  And I had made great time!

Again we cheered on the rest of our van and then we went to the next rest point which was at the end of our legs.  The next van was waiting there for us to take the baton and finish their 3rd leg (they started in Reno).  We would sleep there in the Walmart parking lot before driving to Virginia city where we take it from there back to Reno.  Elliott and I pulled out our full length cots, sleeping backs, and slept in the open air, it was glorious!  I don’t think we got much more than 1 hour sleep again although it still was enough to feel rested, as rested goes.

With that it off to our last leg.  Elliott had another hill, this time Geiger grade.  He again did a stellar job and I had about 1 mile of the hill to finish up.  I powered through, ran the whole thing and I was never so happy to see the Geiger summit sign!  After that I picked up all the time I lost going downhill.  Running downhill after running uphill is even better because you feel like you deserve the downhill.  This time I pushed it even harder.  Consequently I have a toe nail that I think will eventually fall off although it was totally worth it.  With that we were done!  The rest of our van had a few grueling legs to finish, some over 6 miles long and in what turned out to be a pretty hot day.

Overall it was a great time.  Our nutrition was a bit goofy given we ate more salt (trail mix) and grains (clif bars) than normal.  And it didn’t help that for dinner that night I had several cocktails and beers to celebrate.  Actually I woke up the next morning and my face was a little swollen!  I am not sure if that was from all of the salt, gluten, alcohol or all of the above!  Anyway it was a great time, it gave us something to work towards, it kept us running and in shape, we met new people, and we pushed ourselves to a level we wouldn’t have without the confines of the team and the race.  Now we have to figure out whats next.  I think Elliott is lobbying for Hood to Coast.  We shall see.

We started receiving our CSA box this past week, CSA – Community Supported Agriculture.  We chose EatWell Farms based on proximity (so the food would would travel a shorter distance to get to us, more sustainable), use of organics, and also because they have an option to add on eggs – we have opted for 6 a week.  We picked up our first box last week on Wednesday.  The pick up place is at someone’s house not more than 1 mile from our place.  We were encouraged to bring bags to transfer our food into and to leave our box at the site so we did.

We brought home: strawberries, mixed asian greens, spinach, lettuce, bok choy, chard, radishes, sweet potatoes, grapefruit, carrots and green garlic – the boxes are pre-made, everyone gets the same thing.  Quite a colorful and delicious spread.  This meant for many more food meals and less blended meals which I think Elliott enjoyed.  We only breakfast and recovery shakes.  The veg came with a great newsletter with a couple of recipes that was very helpful.  The box also suggest the order to eat the food which was helpful so that the more sensitive things didn’t go bad.

We ate the asian mixed greens Saturday night in a gorgeous salad.  About halfway through I spotted something moving on my plate.  Being a city girl I am not sure I can properly identify the salad stowaway.  If I had to guess I would say it was the smallest caterpillar ever to have lived.  It was tiny, couldn’t hurt a soul.  It was white and mostly opaque, although may have been a bit translucent I think.  This ended the salad eating all together for Elliott.  I decided to follow suit except I did pick out my carrots and radish.  So far we haven’t found anything else alive in our veg.

I have been working to be flexible with the sweet potatoes.  Since we started our new diet we have avoided what most Paleo types call starchy tubers.  I was determined to eat these veggies that made their way into our house without stressing about the carb content.  I think I have done ok, although with all of the food meals I do feel not quite as light this week.  It is either the potatoes, the possible mis-calculation of fat (which is harder with whole food meals), or all in my head.

I am excited for next week although also a little scared that the box may be a exact replica of this week and the magic and excitement may wear off.  If that happens we will resolve to find new recipes for these fresh veggies and continue to try this new piece of our healthy, local eating.

Well its been a while since I last blogged.  What would like to update you on?

First our new eating lifestyle is going well.  We have worked to blend in a mix of normal life, eating out, cocktails and dinner parties into our mix.  We want to be able to do these things every once in awhile without stressing out over what we are eating and also while maintaining a healthy diet.  I would say overall it has been successful.  Often times we will find ourselves at one of these normal situations and we will find our reptile (that is the part of our brain that fears it may starve tomorrow so one should consume all calories within sight at any given moment) takes control.  That looks like one piece of bread into your mouth, and then another piece of bread, and then perhaps bread with butter, and then if there is bread left after the meal one more piece for good measure.  Considering bread is not one of the things we would commonly eat any more that becomes pretty entertaining.  We have worked though to enjoy those moments, be aware of the feelings, and not beat ourselves up about it.  Most rewarding  and what keeps me going was I did go shopping again and I found that I easily fit into a size 4.  I used to wear a size 8, a solid 8, and on bad weeks a 10.  I think I rarely wore a 6 and now I am easily a 6 and on good weeks a 4, pretty cool.

So it was a good thing we practiced this diet flexibility because last week we went to Texas for one week.  We visited Elliott’s grandparents, his mom’s mom and dad, and his dad’s mom, his uncle, and his dad (who has three kids, two who are half siblings to Elliott).  I can honestly say Texas and California might as well be in different country’s!   Ok that’s a little dramatic.  However I don’t think vegetables and fruit are a common part of the Texan diet.  I tried explaining to someone that potatoes aren’t really a vegetable, at least in my book, vegetables are leafy and non-starchy.  We ate more meat than one can imagine including bacon and dried sausage.  We watched the kids eat lots of candy, and Elliott even broke down for a flash back moment and had a snow cone.  I don’t mean to sounds snobby about it… its just when you focus on eating lots of veggies (3 times as many veggies as protein) and minimal carbs and instead you find yourself eating eggs, sausage and toast for breakfast you wonder what your body is going to think.  Well my body did ok.  Fortunately we ran quite a bit while we were there so I think that helped.  I managed only to put on about 2 pounds, which considering what I know that’s not bad.  That was the result of some Oreo cookies (you just can’t say no to grandparents), brownies, banana cake, a huge meal at a Brazilian BBQ place (oh my), and I can’t even recount what else but it got sketchy there, oh… I did even have a donut, again you can’t say no to grandparents.

I told Elliott by the end of the trip I didn’t feel as good, he said it was all in my mind but  my pants definitely fit tighter.  We have been home for a few days and I think I have just about repaired the damage made and I am feeling better and better.

Ok I need to go soon, I know these get too long to even read.  The only other thing I will say is I don’t think I am allergic to spandex.  I think it might be my soap that and stress.  All I know is right now it is gone.  I am going to my annual check up soon, to a new dr who I believe is also a dermatologist, I am going to review it with her then, although I am not sure what she can say about looking at clear skin where I used to have a problem although I am hoping she might be able to pin point what it could be so I can be sure to avoid.  Anyway at this point its 100% aloe vera soap and I am hoping that continues to do the trick.

All in all life is good right now.  Work is pretty busy, billings are great.  Elliott and I are healthy.  I am working on writing down my goals and focusing on achieving them this year in search of fulfillment and balance.   We are looking at a summer calendar full of friends, family, some running, some music, even camping.  And right now I am pretty excited.  We have some exciting things coming up that I will work to take time to document here later.  Till then…

Well, we are now closer to Berkeley and I think that I am becoming more of a hippie by proximity.  As we were comparing prices for cacao nibs at Whole Foods a fellow shopper asked us if we were locals.  Afraid she was going to ask us for directions we stumbled to respond with an affirmative.  She then said there is a local raw food coop where we could get said nibs and other superfood goodness on the cheap.  We went home and googled Raw Manna and I think our life may have changed directions.  Ok that sounds silly.  Although I believe that if you are open to it things will come to you that can positively change your life and direct you on a path that is good and right for you.  How’s that for hippie speak?

So I have spent a couple hours today researching the products they have available and we will definitely be visiting them to pick up some things.  Funny thing is we would have gone there today, however we were not able to get a hold of them.  They ask that you call ahead and in typical laid back hippie fashion they haven’t returned my message yet, I find that totally funny and ironic.  What will we be getting?  Chia seeds – I think I may use these in place of the Arbonne fiber we have been using in smoothies, they are also a good source of good fats.  Maca – a root that is great for energy and apparently better sex drive (oh my, yes I did write that in a blog I know my mother reads, hi mom, love you!).  Kale Chips – these are simply baked kale, a good treat for those who have given up starchy tubers like potatoes the more common chip component.  And lastly Elliott has requested Wizards Paste, which I believe is a chocolate type mixture with 12 or so “superfoods”.  When the hippies get around to calling us back we will go check out their store/house, purchase some of these items and work on bringing them into our diet.  I am pretty excited to try something new.

On another note, the jury is still out on whether or not coconut oil is “good” for you.  Some people say its a saturated fat so its not good, others say its one of natures best foods.  I tried it in my smoothie and liked it.  Then one night I was talking to our friends who are from India about it and she told me that she uses it in her hair.  She also shared a story that one time she went to someones house and they drizzled it on food, she thought that was disgusting.  Since I had tried it in food first I was thankful that it hadn’t been ruined for me and I then proceeded to try it as a beauty product.  I rubbed it on my skin area problems for several days before getting in the shower.  I think there is a small chance the residual on my hands made my face break out… although other than that it was soothing.  Then today I put it on my hair for a few hours.  I showered tonight and afraid it was going to be too greasy I shampoo’d twice, do you think that negates all the benefit?  So then I conditioned to try and get the benefit back.  I didn’t blow dry or do my hair and its still slightly damp so I can’t comment on if I think it was helpful or not, although it did feel fun.  I kind of want to take a bath in the stuff it feels so rich.

Lastly, my final hippie act for the day is researching how to make our own almond milk.  We go through so much of this stuff I thought it would be good to see if making it ourselves is an option.  I first compared the potential price savings and I don’t think the savings is so great as to be a motivator in itself.  However I do think that the amount of the containers we throw away would be greatly reduced and thereby I think worth it.  That is easy to say having not yet made it. It doesn’t look that hard though.  Some people blanch the almonds, others don’t.  I think I would skip the blanching.  I think I would soak them overnight though.  And then you blend in water and strain in cheese cloth.  Sounds pretty easy.  We just bought a bunch of almond milk today, including a case (that’s how much we use) so when we almost exhaust that supply I am going to try making a batch to see if I think it is a viable option rather than purchasing it.

Given my recent aversion to spandex, I am afraid I may soon be caught up in a raw food, hemp clothing, tree hugging movement and no longer be recognizable to my friends and family.  If that happens I am sorry.  I love you all.  Peace, love and gratitude, love your hippie sister, daughter and friend, teresa (aka raindancer)

We did it, we went off the diet in a big way and ate pizza today.  We spoke to the ASCE (American Society of Civil Engineers) student chapter of the University of Pacific tonight.  It was a lot of fun.  And purposely didn’t bring food.  I was ready to eat street food.  Part of me was hoping for sandwiches although I think Elliott’s prays were answered with pizza.  We both ate it, 3 pieces each.  It was satisfying although not indulgently so.  Not much more satisfying than a great big dish of greens with a side of quinoa.  And I don’t think either of us feels awful, which I think is a good thing.  Although I think Elliott was hoping to feel awful to have a another reason to point to why we eat like we do now.

The delivery was not of the pizza but my new 100% cotton bra.  I have never been so happy to see the mail man.  I charged into the lobby to recover my package and boy am I happy.  It doesn’t have the same push up padding that I used to look for in my bras although that is ok.  I purchased the bra with a tank and new undies from Cottonique my perhaps new favorite retailer.  And the package was shipped from a warehouse in Reno which made me laugh.

Now if our Arbonne box would just arrive.  We  have been out of fiber for a few days and I am not happy about it.  I have been working to pour more veggies into my shakes to get my rubbish (as I think Krista would say) although I think my tummy really likes having a scoop a day of the fiber.  Plus we have some fizzy tabs (vitamin b and green tea caffeine) coming as well and those are wonderful.

Oh and we sold our Subaru, I think….  I just went to Craiglist to take down the posting.  We decided we don’t need two cars.  And there is this great thing called Zip Car that when we need a car there are always several in the neighborhood that you can go pick up for a fee and rent basically if needed.  So if we need to be two places at once first we are going to work to use more public transportation and if that doesn’t work one of us will get a Zip Car.  And with the money from the Subaru we are going to pay off one of our last remaining pieces of debt which is from a loan we took to buy stock in BJG; we all know how that ended!  We really, really want to move past that chapter in our life and paying off that loan will be a perfect way to not have that monthly reminder.  So this nice couple came tonight.  Drove the car. Came back and asked if we were flexible on the price.  The offered less than we were asking for, although more than the cheap people on Craigslist who try to haggle with you over email, and I think its a fair amount for both of us.  Win-win.  They said they need some time to get the money, hey I can understand that.  So we shook on it that they would buy the car next week when we get back from LV.  They asked us to take good care of it so I feel good about our deal, I think they really want it.  That’s it for today.  Off to have some detox tea and look up a recipe for sardines!   Anyone up for Sardines with breakfast at Kathi’s on Saturday?  They are a great protein!