Today’s breakfast is a new/old favorite – half a sweet potato with a bit of almond butter and yogurt, plus an egg and an egg-white.

Since moving in here, we’ve had a really hard time cooking eggs, as we only had a cast iron pan that just didn’t cut it. The eggs always burned and stuck to the bottom. We finally sucked it up and bought a nice non-stick GreenPan, and since then – voila! Perfect eggs.

Surrounded by the trillion mandarins we got from our organic box. More on that later.

Today, I am taking (and enjoying) my scheduled off-day. I’ll probably do some yoga and walk the pooch in the afternoon, but besides that, I’m relaxing.

I used to be a hard-core six days per week exerciser. This started when I was a triathlete, and did one to two workouts per day, under the guidance of my beloved coach, Robert Hockley. When I was being coached and listened, it was fantastic – I exercised in correct proportion to rest, ate well, etc. However, after a few years, I didn’t listen quite as well as I was supposed so. I would slack off on workouts, and hurry to “make them back.”

However, I learned that you can’t do that without penalty, and ended up with a stress fracture in my foot that kept me out of a half-ironman and kept me from really working out for three months. I also have had IT-band syndrome since I started exercising, and still struggle with a tight IT band, in spite of a consistent yoga practice and regular (if not regular enough) foam rolling.

After my stress-fracture and a number of outside issues, I stopped training for tri’s and moved on to focusing my attention wholeheartedly on yoga. Yoga did wonders for my body, consciousness, and self-esteem. It allowed me to find flexibility in mind and spirit I had never had. Unfortunately, just doing yoga and doing zero cardio lead me to put on about 15 pounds from my triathlon days, and they were 15 pounds I didn’t really need. So, I started watching what I ate more carefully, and adding in cardio workouts. It felt like a perfect balance, and it worked really well.

Then, Anthony and I decided to start running in January, to train for the Brisbane Half Marathon. I knew I wanted to run, but also do weights, so we developed a plan to do a modified version of New Rules of Lifting For Women (Anthony obviously lifts drastically heavier weights than I do, but the plan’s principle is “to lift like a man” so we decided to do it together.)

While it was really tempting to follow both plans perfectly, (which would have involved three to four days per week of running, plus three days per week of weights) I knew in my body and heart that ramping up weights as well as running would lead to injury. I so admire people like SkinnyRunner and Hungry Runner Girl who seem to effortlessly run day in, day out, without penalty of injury, but that’s just not me. I can exercise six days per week, but for quality training? Five is my max. It’s hard to admit when you read of so many bloggers who an off-day consists of a 50-minute spin class and 90 minutes of yoga, but for me, my off-day involves walking, a bit of yoga – and that’s it.

Thing’s I’ve noticed since cutting back a day:

Better endurance during runs and weights - I can run for longer without feeling dead, push myself on our “very hard” Smart Coach Plan (and it lives up to it’s title!) and raise my weights each time I go in to the gym.

More focus and energy during the day - When I worked out six days per week, I felt tired every day, no matter how much I ate. These days, I feel energetic and focused, regardless of if I do a five mile run or do nothing.

My body feels better - Due to a combination of proper rest and protein, my body feels stronger and less painful after each workout, and my muscles feel less sore and more eager.

I am excited to work out - Since cutting back a day, I find myself so excited to get to the gym or slip on my shoes each day. I love the feeling of working out, and when I have an off day, I find myself raring to go the next!

I get faster without trying - Yes, our speed might not look significant to other runners, but my first half-marathon was 2:54, and my PR is 2:28. We’re training for a 2:03 race, and I feel confident that we’ll be able to do it, as we’ve cut off 25 seconds per mile in a month without even trying. The effort feels the same, but the pace is faster – isn’t that what you’d want?

My body looks the same as it did on six days and less food - I’ve been eating more (protein) and working out less, and my clothes fit the same and I can see more muscle definition. If that isn’t telling me that I’m doing the right thing, I don’t know what is!

There is part of me that hopes that when my body gets more accustomed to running and weights, I can add a sixth workout in, more than anything because I enjoy it and love to sweat. However, if that happens and I find myself getting tired and in pain, I have my answer and will go back to the magic number 5.

QOTD: How often do you work out, and why? What results do you get?

Today was the laziest day (after the 5 mile run, of course!) ever.

Let’s put it this way – it’s 8:00pm, and I’m still in my PJ’s. Sunday is great that way.

Most of the day was spent researching new vs. used fridges and washing machines. As a New Yorker, I can’t tell you how weird it is to be researching this. I truly never thought I’d be buying one of those things, as I sort of counted on apartments that came with fridges, and laundromats around the corner! How things change.

All our research on white goods made us hungry. We knew we wanted a protein-rich dinner, but what?

Experience Asian Organic Mung Bean fettuchini to the rescue! Never mind they misspelled fettuccine on the label, how on earth would it taste?

I ordered these with our organic vegetable box delivery (I’ll post on it soon, but it’s a fantastic service in the Brisbane area) out of curiosity. The ingredients – mung beans, water – didn’t sound like they would make a particularly satisfying pasta, but I’m always game to try anything once. Plus, they were on sale. So, why not?

To make a long story short, we loved them. The consistency was chewy, al dente, and the noodles had a hearty flavor of their own. Not to mention, 20 grams of protein per serving is amazing for a noodle, and we finished our meal feeling satisfied. I served the noodles with spinach and left-over meatballs, and by the end, we were quite content.

Of course, no pasta dish is complete without a little parmesan cheese, right?

After this meal, we were so satisfied but not overly stuffed. It also feels great to know I’ve done good by my muscles by helping them repair with a meal with over 40 grams of protein.

Tomorrow is an off-day, which I’m actually very ready for. My legs could use a little pampering.

Sweet dreams (or, good morning, US folks!)

{source}

This weeks episode was about The Psychopath Test, a test used by the judicial system to determine if someone is a Psychopath. As always, the show was enlightening, funny, and interesting. I have a massive crush on Ira Glass. Always have, always will.

There was something so homey and comforting about listening to this show, which has kept me company on many a traffic-stuck car trip, long run, and past meal preparation. I love feeling entertained and enlightened at the same time. It’s a national treasure.

Dinner

For dinner, I made my sweet potato curry, with carrots, butternut squash and tofu to add a bit more bulk. I tell you, this is one of the best and easiest dishes I know how to make.

We had our friend Jeff over for dinner, after Jeff was kind enough to build our bikes back up for us! They look great, and I can’t wait to take them for a spin.

Jeff visited us in New York, and stayed with us for three weeks. It was so great to see him again.

Today, we had big plans to go to the big Greek Festival in town, but after our workout, we were ready for a veggie day on the couch.

Workout

We ran five miles at 11:00 pace! We’re getting faster without trying, which is so fantastic, and gives me a lot of faith in my body, and it’s ability to adapt.

Breakfast

Was an old favorite – 1/3 of a cup of quinoa topped with two eggs, and 1 tsp almond butter and some soy sauce. With a nice organic banana, it was a perfect post run meal.

That’s Erin’s dog, Penny. She is hilarious. The family pups had a clip and a bath today, and let’s just say, they are letting their poodle selves S-H-I-N-E.

Yup, that’s Ebony, everyone’s favorite “Backyard Girl.” Nicknamed as such, since she is much happier rolling around in the dirt than being inside being a princess. All evidence, including Blue Bows, to the contrary.

Workout

Today’s workout was a 4 mile run. It was our first tempo run, and boy, was it a doozy!

Mile 1 @ 10:57

Mile 2 @ 9:33

Mile 3 @ 9:33

Mile 4 @ 10:58

Thank Goodness for having a training partner. If it wasn’t for Anthony, after the third mile, I’d have walked the rest of the way, as my legs felt shot. However, thanks to Ant, I kept running.

Part of the reason it was easy to keep running is because we were working out in our, quite possibly and hopefully, new neighborhood!

[source]

We just put in application for a beautiful house in the gorgeous Shorncliffe neighborhood. It’s exactly 5 minute walk from the train, from the beach, and from a beautiful creek with kayaking and water sports. We hope to hear in a few days, so keep you fingers crossed for us!

For dinner, I channelled my grandmother and made turkey meatballs!

Miraculously, in a deli near our new neighborhood, we discovered the promised land – potato pancake mix. You can’t even imagine the double take when I saw a box of this good stuff.

I served the meatballs over buckwheat pasta and spinach, made using Julie’s trick. It worked perfectly.

For tomorrow, we have a five mile run, and hopefully headed to the Greek festival.

Have an awesome day!

Ant and I were at the gym for or NROWL workout at 5:35!

I doubled my squat weight from when we started from 20kg to 40kg – that’s over 80lbs! I really enjoy working in kilograms, because I find it psychologically and physically easier to make progress. When I go from 20kg to 22, that’s going up by over 4lbs, so my body is being put through more (and quicker) stress to adapt. As long as I listen to my body, I definitely notice strength increases without injury, which is stellar.

Breakfast was my favorite. Carob ONO with frozen berries and a dollop of almond butter.

So unphotogenic, but so utterly delicious.

In other news,

Meet Karel.

Karel is a robot.

This little jerk Robot has me up at night, up early in the morning, working throughout the day to get him to just do this.

Because, while it’s fantastic when he does that (I programmed him to do so), half the time he does crazy stuff like this.

Or this.

Not quite the checkerboard we talked about, is it Karel?!

Karel is a learning tool created by Stanford. In case you’re curious, Stanford and a number of universities have FREE full classes available through AcademicEarth.org. It’s an amazing resource – I’m taking the full CS106, programming methodology, complete with homework, handouts, and exams, for free.

And it’s really hard. It’s also really fun, and very empowering to learn a skill that I hold in such high esteem. Programming is allowing me to work on many major skills at once, including focus, communication (Karel does everything I say, so I have to communicate to him exactly what I mean) creativity, problem-solving, and patience. (So I don’t throw my ginger tea directly at Karel, which in turn would destroy my computer.)

Learning new things takes time and such patience. I’m actually thrilled I’m taking this class before adopting a puppy, as it’s a great reminder that the best things in life take dedication and commitment without an expiration date.

So, now I must return to the little robot that could.

But, every now and then, I take a break to sneak a peak at this…

Not our pup, but one of her cousin’s!

If all goes well, our little girl will be with us June 29th. More details soon!

It took a lot of cajoling, but it’s all here, and most miraculous of all, it’s all in one piece! Nothing’s broken or damaged. Hallelujah.

We spent much of the day unpacking, organizing, and sorting.

Initially, our little flat looked like a disaster area.

But soon, it all came together, and I even have a little altar for my yoga practice!

Ommmmm.

For sustenance, I whipped up a raw zucchini pasta salad that was drool-worthy.

I spiraled some zucchini, and topped it with diced organic tomatoes and bean sprouts. On top went a basic almond butter sauce (1 tsp almond butter, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, pepper flakes) and I served it with a side of canned tuna.

Delish!

However, while I wish today was all about joy and celebrating my mom (Thank G-d, that was Mother’s day!) it’s not. Today feels empty, tragic, and cuttingly painful, even though the events that make it so are a decade old.

10 years ago today, my dad passed away, suddenly and cruelly, from metastasized prostate cancer. It was my mother’s birthday that day, too, though we didn’t quite celebrate it.

My dad, in February 1980. I never knew him mustachioed.

As I remember (and as I was fifteen, it’s quite possible my memories have taken the sheen that comes from time combined with shocking circumstance) it all started with a backache that never went away. After a month of extraordinary pain, he finally went to the hospital, but by then, as most horror stories go, it was too late. The backache wasn’t a strain or even a badly herniated disc; it was cancer eating away at his bones. From his admission to the hospital to the day he died was ten days.

My memories are full of fog and dust. I have vague recollections of meeting a white turbaned spiritual guide who said that he would either get better or pass over very quickly. He was right. I remember my rabbi hugging me, whispering something about God, the scratchy tingle of his woolen sweater gently chaffing my cheek, the distinctive smell of onion bagels emanating from him. I remember singing Barbra Streisand’s rendition of “You’ll Never Know” to my father, forgetting the words and singing anyway. Right before he passed, when his skin and eyes were a sickly, jaundiced amber, I told him I loved him, heard him mutter something in reply, and my brother-in-law said “there’s your answer.” He heard “I love you” back. I wasn’t sure.

At my Bat Mitzvah in 2000.

Our relationship was often a bit short of delightful. Perhaps the cruelest part of loosing a parent at fifteen is that your memory at twenty-five is that of a teenager’s perception; I have no accurate idea of who he really was. It wasn’t until after he died that I started to learn more about my father as a man, and wasn’t until this past year that I really learned about his relationship with my mother, as they divorced when I was five. I googled him today, only to discover that he published two theses on the developmental psychology of young boys. The Library of the University of Florida has a part of him that I don’t.

There are, of course, innumerable memories that I cherish and hold on to with all my might. We took a trip to Ireland and Israel together. He arranged to celebrate my birthday in a Sea of Galilee restaurant that was on a dock, with a boat in the water that had a glittering display of fireworks. He said they were for me and my birthday. I still think they were.

Dad and some of my friends, around 1994. I've got the braid.

I remember trips to our country house in Otis, Massachussets, which was a luxurious two and a half hours of chatter and conversation. I learned more about him on those drives than I did at any other point. I learned more about life, too, from his perspective.

I listen to Diana Krall and I instantly go back to concerts in Tanglewood; she opened for Tony Bennett twice, and we were there both times. He loved Diana Krall. I think he may have had a crush on her. Me too, for that matter.

Most of all, I remember snuggling on the couch, eating bagels and lox and watching Saturday morning T.V. This was a ritual I didn’t even know existed until it evaporated. I never fully understood how integrated into my life it was for me to lie my head on his belly, hear it gurgle, and know somehow, life would be all right.

It is all all right. I am madly in love with a man I know my father would have adored. I graduated a top university and am going back to get a higher level degree. I ran my own profitable business from the time I commenced college onwards. I keep learning, keep growing, and keep evolving.

My dad loved my sister and I so much, and taught us how to grow together, even though he wasn’t there to see the full blossom of our relationship. I am so grateful for that, forever. We still differ on our recollection of his favorite drink – she says it was scotch on the rocks, I say it was a kir royal. She’s probably right, but that didn’t stop me from ordering a kir royal in his honor when I was in his soul’s city, Paris.

My dad was a teacher both in words and actions. he taught me so much about music, theatre, art, love, heartbreak, and vitality.

The most valuable lesson that I carry with me; ingrained in my heart and soul was his motto and creed.

Drinking a Guinness in Ireland.

Make a Difference. Have Fun.

He lived by that. He changed people’s lives and touched hundreds of souls. He was charming, stubborn as a mule, compassionate, intensely generous, and complicated. All in all, he was a human being who graced the world with vivacity and energy. The hole in my heart is still there, but it is filled with the memories, the love we had for each other, and the twinkle in my niece Livia’s eye, who could be his miniature mirror.

In his memory, in the memory of all those we have lost and who graced this world with their pure gusto for living, may you, who ever is reading this, always remember that having fun, living in joy, is in fact, making a difference. Perhaps we can all change the world a little bit, by celebrating life and daring to live with all the vivacity we can muster. That is bravery, that is soul. Live bigger than you ever thought you could. Dare to take a dive or a leap. Fight for what your soul tells you is important. It’s worth it. In the immortal words of Auntie Mame (one of our favorite movies) “Life is a banquet, and most poor suckers are starving to death.”

So, go on. Live. Live with all your might. Make a difference. Have fun.

In Loving Memory of Charles Alan Reiner, October 13th, 1946 to May 15th, 2002.

To hear a little Diana Krall, check out my dad’s favorite song of hers, “I’ll String Along With You“.

Whose playful spirit and joyful heart makes it a gift to be her daughter…

Who is the most supportive, amazing, and beautiful soul I know…

Who is, unquestionably, the most talented animal photographer in the world…

source - terryberenson.com

She’s compassionate, loving, an awesome grandma…

Not to mention, just about as silly as they come!

I love you, mom.

Happy Mother’s Day!

Also, to my grandma, my sister, my aunt, and of course, Julie…

You are all such amazing moms, grandmas, soul-parents, and people. I am so grateful to have you all in my life and I love you very, very much. Celebrate yourself!

It all started out well. Anthony and I had bought a box of gluten-free buckwheat pancake pancake mix from Orgran about a month ago, and have been drooling over it forever. While we had been saving it for a post-long run breakfast, we figured that 12 hours after a long run counts.

So, I opened the box, followed the instructions, and soon had pancakes sizzlin’ on the barbie. Err, fry-pan.

I even decided to go all out and recreate a childhood favorite – Mickey Mouse-cakes!

It started out perfectly – he even had the trademarked (by me) Mickey Mouse chin and puffed out cheeks that children have come to love and adore. I was feeling proud. Cocky, even.

Until this happened.

Who does that?! Who kills Mickey Mouse? It looks like he got into a bar fight with a van Gough obsessed stalker. Poor Mickey didn’t even stand a chance.

Breakfast

Were some horribly obscured (but coincidentally, delicious) pancakes topped with almond butter, served with a side of humiliation.

QOTD: HOW DO YOU FLIP PANCAKES? Particularly ones with ears?! Tell me your secret. I’ll pay you back in e-flapjacks.

So, that speed work I wrote about last night?

Not so much.

Workout

After our weights in the morning and a long day, our legs just didn’t have a need for speed.

So, we switched our “long run” and “speed work” this week (same distance) and went for a gorgeous four mile run along the beach.

Not a bad view for a nighttime run, right? It was pretty spectacular. Our average pace was 11:00 (20 seconds per mile faster than we were supposed to, but that was mostly because we decided to race the last 10th of a mile. Anthony won by a long shot.)

After our run, we were famished, so head out to the nearby fish and chips place for some grubba.

Dinner

We started with a glass of “champers” for me and a bourbon and coke for Ant. Tres chic, no?

Then, I indulged in half a dozen oysters, partly because they were so fresh, and partly because they were so cheap. They were absolutely delicious – and right from Tasmania, so they’re practically “local.”

Then, in keeping with the Australasian theme, I ordered grilled hoki from New Zealand with a side salad.

It was only ok, though the salad was really good.

After dinner, I still felt famished, so I had a rice cake with some almond butter, and called it a night.

It’s so fun to be house-sitting here – it’s like a free vacation!

QOTD: Have you ever wussed out of a workout? Did you make it up or just skip it?