My godson was born and is developing into a healthy boy. He laughs at everything, eats all the time and stares in awe at his momma. Watching a baby's eyes light up as they try to learn what you are teaching is so fascinating.
My goddaughter Maliya turned one year old and she is walking and waving "hi" and saying "bye" to everyone she meets. I must say that I am an incredibly proud nina. I was excited to be able to push jerk Maliya up and over on to my shoulders with absolutely no problem. She was not impressed with my functional fitness. She will be when I "fireman carry" her when she gets older (and I get stronger).
The school year began as did the Students Run Los Angeles season. I am in full swing working with thirty-nine high school students and four other adults (and anyone that would like to tag along in our training) to complete the LA marathon. We are having a blast in training. The team recently completed a 15K race at the Universal Backlot and we collect 83 cans of fish/tuna for our new SRLA Cares program. Nike is also donating shoes to each of the SRLA runners after this milestone.
This is my eighth year as a coach and I must say that I learn so much every year to share with the team for the next year. For my runners that have been running with me for multiple seasons, they too have been able to share with the newbies the benefits of proper eating and training. Talk about being super lucky doing something every day that I absolutely love.
I also finished my fourteenth marathon with another PR. As much as I love running through the streets of San Francisco during the Nike Women's Marathon in October, this year was pretty exciting and extremely crowded. I wonder whether my time would have even been much faster if I wasn't weaving through walkers along the course.
I PR'ed this marathon time by two minutes without adding in much more in the way of long distance runs during the months before. I ran a few miles a few days a week and spent more time lifting weights. During the race, I was super conservative at the beginning while maintaining the typical 11 minute mile pace. I knew I could go faster, but that mental resistance for fear of hitting a wall is too scary to push myself out of that typical slow start. I think I started picking up the pace too late. Every marathon is a time to analyze every step for next time I'm out on the streets. I am really looking forward to LA marathon after finishing this race.
I had the incredibly opportunity to run the Nike Women's Marathon and earn that Tiffany necklace thanks to a very amazing and active SRLA team, the Mount Gleason Runners and their coach Craig. A group of about fifty runners traveled up to San Francisco to complete the half marathon. The team also met Kara Goucher and Joan Benoit Samuelson during the Expotique. I remember a few years ago when our students met Joan at the Expo and how starstruck I was to meet her, knowing that she paved the way for women marathoners to be integrated into the sport.
I have been humbled every day at the box, missing/failing a lift, not getting the hang of double unders, or not getting that freakin' squat snatch! I have asked for so much help during every workout that I'm sure I have (unintentionally) tried the patience of our CrossFit coaches.I am still sticking firm to my stance on eating "clean" and staying true to that. I do allow myself some sugar, pasta, and gelato, but on the whole those foods are still kept to a minimum. I know how important food is to training now. I know how much better I can train, how much heavier I can lift at the gym and how much better I feel after eating foods that my body can take full advantage of. And I look good. In order to remind myself to eat my fruits and veggies, I have continued to use Farm Fresh To You service every few weeks delivered straight to my door.
Leeks are in season! I love leeks. I love potatoes. And I love that I have learned how to make Potato Leek Soup! I used a few food recipes from the Food Network a few attempts at making this soup but I think I've figured this out on my own and have some substitutions for my Vegan friends, too.
Potato Leek Soup
Serves 4
Ingredients
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
4 slices turkey bacon, chopped (don't have to use this for Vegan recipe)
2 large leeks (or 3 medium sized leeks-whatever you can find), white and light green parts only, thinly sliced (you don't need the green leafy looking top part)
3 cloves garlic, chopped
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
2 medium russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces or bigger if you like chunks of potatoes
Kosher salt and ground pepper
1/2 cup heavy cream (coconut milk works, too)
1 1/2 cups frozen peas (do not thaw)
Cook the bacon until crisp, about 8 minutes. Remove the bacon to let it cool. While the bacon is cooking, heat a sauce pan and add the butter (I use a wok, it's easier and less messy). Let the butter melt, then add the leeks and garlic; cover and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add in the paprika and pepper at this time, too.
Add the broth, 2 cups water, the potatoes and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper; cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer, partially covered, until the potatoes are tender, about 15ish minutes.
Puree half the soup in a blender (remove the filler cap to let steam escape), then return to the pot. This can get messy, so be careful. The puree is hot! It's probably good to use a measuring cup to scoop the soup into the blender.
Add the cream and bring to a simmer. Add the peas and cook until tender, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper again if needed.
Chop up the bacon into rough bits and pour it all in.
You can also toast baguette slices and use them to dip into the soup. Feel free to freeze the soup if you want to make extra for the week.
This soup reminds me of my days in Madrid when my host mom would make us puree for lunch almost every day.
One of my favorite pastimes while in Europe is lunch. It is a huge meal and almost always begins with a puree. My recent trip to Berlin was no different. I hope you enjoy the soup as a meal or as a primer plato during lunch or dinner.
