First run of 2019

2018 was my best running year. I participated in a lot of races - both road and trail, and also ran a half marathon with the husband (his 1st).

But more than any race, I thoroughly enjoyed my weekly long runs. I get to be outdoors (my favorite place to be); I get to breath lungs full of fresh air; I get to observe subtle changes in seasons all year long; I get "ME" time to think deeply about things bringing stress and find a way to let go; I get to become fitter and faster over time; Every mile is worth my while; Every run adds life to my days!!!

I used to run with a local non-profit group on and off from January 2014. But last year, I realized that each of their events centered around alcohol. Any event to raise money involved beer. Most of their runs started and ended at a brewery. Their potlucks and dinner invites never had any vegan options for me to eat. Although I'm still contributing towards their cause, I no longer run with them.

I found a new running group last fall that felt like home. The people, their running pace, their willingness to be flexible in terms of timing, location and distance of our runs, the camaraderie during races - it fit my needs from the Day 1.

I have a routine now for my weekly long runs. And a great group to run with. I look forward to my Saturday AM runs all week long. Being in Folsom, we are blessed with miles of trails - road as well as dirt, and spectacular running weather all year around.

For my first run of 2019, I ran on a route that I've never run before. We started at our usual starting point - Old Town Folsom. There is a covered parking garage with a bathroom here that works well for us. Instead of running along the American River Parkway towards Nimbus Fish Hatchery, we ran east towards Folsom Lake Beals Point. We were treated to a spectacular sunrise here, and we took a short break to soak it all in. It was uphill all the way, and with a 2 week break from running, I was feeling it in my legs and lungs. The way back was downhill and a ton of fun. I was happy we could run 8+  miles, given that I had tight constraints around my return time. Daughter had a basketball game at 9am, and I didn't want to miss a minute of it.

Here are some pictures from Saturday.....

Cleanse complete

Successfully completed the 21-day cleanse yesterday - Week 1 was much harder than expected, but Week2/3 were easier. It gave me a chance to note all my bad food habits and also gave me time to (hopefully) give up some of them for good.

Green smoothies were a bit hit - hubby loves them a LOT and gave up his morning tea for them.

The Chia pudding was not a great hit with me - but the daughter LOVES it. The chilled gooey, coconut milk pudding suits her taste buds. Its a great snack or breakfast item for the kids.

The son LOVES almond butter, just as much as I do. We both licked it off the spoon every afternoon.

I lost 6-7lbs. That brings my total for this year to about 12+ lbs. I am MORE than happy. I feel fit, and healthy. I am getting rid of the pregnancy fat, slowly and steadily. I continue to go for short runs, walks, occasional biking, and doing weights/kettle-bells at home.

My only cheats were eating black beans a day before they were allowed, and a portion of the kids fries when we visited Ikea :). I am proud of myself!!!!

If you want any tips or any new recipes that I learnt, or some basic principles on green juicing, let me know and I will be happy to pass along what I know!

This is the program I did: http://simplegreensmoothies.com/cleanse.

Looking forward to pigging out this week, including a big bowl of icecream tonite :) :)!!!!

Day 7 - Night Running

I went for my first night run tonight. It was with my training group (thankfully), and I had prepared myself with all the gear I needed a couple of days ago.

I thought I was ready.

SO wrong!!!!

I was scared, and intimidated. I've never ran in my life, period. And this night run was scary. It was on the American River Trail which is really pretty during the day, but is equally scary at night. No lights, and chances of mountain lion, rattle snakes, deer, etc. FREAKED me out!

I started out with the core group, but very quickly, found my sluggish self at the end of the pack with two other females who were running at my pace.

And then suddenly I had an idea - let's listen to some music. I slowed down - considerably - trying to figure out a Pandora station to play and tuck in my headphones beneath my ear muffs and headlamp. It took me close to 10 minutes and I found myself all alone, in this dark jungle, listening to some stupid song which I immediately stopped. With the headphones, I had zoned out of all the sounds on the trail - there could be bikers calling out, a snake hissing, or an animal following. Feeling very afraid, I ran at a much faster pace to catch up with the group who was heading back after the 20-minute turnout.

Even though those 10 minutes were scary, the rest of the run was amazing. 3.5 miles again today, in 40 minutes, followed by a workout in the dark for 30 minutes (squats and push-ups and plank and what not).

I can't say I've fallen in love with running yet (I was dreading the run all day today) but I can see myself getting fitter and stronger with every session.

GO ME!!!!

Taking the baby to the gym :)

It was a windy day today and both my baby and I are still terribly jet-lagged (we just got back from India over the weekend). We were in India for more than 3 months, and had a blast socializing with the entire family, meeting friends, chatting with neighbors everyday, and hosting a wedding in the family. Ruhi got the most attention and love from everyone. Being in India did wonders on her social skills development, and reduced her stranger anxiety to a great extent.

Ever since we have been back, its been kinda lonely. We are not going out much coz she sleeps a lot during the day, and the weather outside is a little bit chilly for her. However, I did not want to get stuck in a boring routine at home, so even though it was very windy today, I took her to a local kids gym for a trial class. This little studio has programs for babies (or bugs as they call it) as little as 4 months for motor skills development. Music, exercise, socializing - sounded like a fun thing to try :)!

Ruhi had an awesome time. There were 8 babies with their moms, 7 girls and 1 boy. The age group was perfect for her....they were all between age 6-9 months. The teacher was also fantastic. The class started with a couple of introductory songs where we were given rattles for the babies to rhyme with. We then did a few upper body gentle moves, after which we did some tummy exercises and some pseudo-baby-somersaults. I tried some of the moves for the first time with Ruhi, and was amazed at how well she adapted to them and liked them.

We then moved on to standing time (with support) during which she socialized with a cute 7-month old. Most of the stuff we did will help with her balance, co-ordination and body awareness.

The teacher then picked up Ruhi and took her to the bars (gymnastics portion of the class), where she tested her grip (which is very strong). She was happy with how Ruhi held on and said she has good core strength.

We then moved on to the most fun part of the class - blowing bubbles. We all stood in a circle with our babies standing up on our palms facing inside the circle (so that the babies face each other), as the teacher blew bubbles in the circle for the babies to play. Ruhi had a blast...she was trying to catch the bubbles while giggling and babbling. She was all smiles, even though she was tired and ready for her nap.

The class ended with two beautiful cleanup and goodbye songs. Overall, I am so glad I went. I got to meet other mommies in the area, and Ruhi had fun socializing with other babies her age.

There are a couple other studios in the area that offer the same kind of classes, so I will be checking them out in the next few weeks, and then will enroll in the one that I feel is best suited for us.

We are also planning to try out a kiddie swimming pool sometime soon, coz Ruhi loves bath time and splashing water around in her small tub at home.

Oh, the joys of parenting :)