Just Walking' Around...Smelling Around

This is me...really, really happy to see Bec and Adam, just after the fourth mile marker on Sunday. I mean, my race was great and all, but I wasn't this happy the rest of the time.

My car is broken. It won't start...for me at least. The guy at VW said it would start for them sometimes, but it's hit or miss. He left me a message and said something like, "It starts sometimes but that doesn't mean anything." What? It will cost an amount of money that makes me more and more anxious to get my stimulus check from Dubya. So, I've been walking a lot in the past few days. Walking to school from the gym, walking to PT, etc. This might be the greatest time to be walking around the Peninsula. There is the most amazing smell of some flowering thing in the air constantly. I don't know what it is, but it's making me want to walk a lot more. For some reason, I don't smell this when I run.

In other news, here are the pictures Bec took from Bay to Breakers. Picture #12 is not one I'll be sending to the reunion committee, but #14 is the payoff from all that pedaling. Mom, picture #56 is for you (not because of the girl picking something out of her teeth...for the float in the background). There were a lot of floats of the Cosco Busan...the barge that crashed into the Bay Bridge last fall. It was fitting, given that most everyone within 20 feet of these miniature Cosco Busans were, similarly, in no shape to be steering anything. Picture #15 is the dogsled team that I told some of you about...I was beyond impressed with this team...a few seemed to be Cal XC runners and they were hauling at the end (under 7:15 miles).

There are official pictures posted online. I have been trying to find the dogsled team so I've been searching random people in their 20's who finished just ahead of me in net time. I searched runner 16621. It's so unfortunate that her finishing pictures include a completely naked man in the frame (well, he has sunglasses and a watch on in addition to his shoes). It's probably no surprise that it's not a pretty picture. Oh, and I found the dogsled team. Click here and search bib #497. The pictures are pretty awesome. In some of them, some of the guys are panting like dogs with their hands like paws. I'm so glad there are funny people in the world.

This Is My Jam

Saturday morning, inspired by The Gourmet Project, I made jam. After consultation with Sharon, Pat, and one of my students (the only three people who have ever given me homemade jam), I was ready to take the plunge. I got up early to get to the farmer's market and bought some amazing strawberries. This flat cost $32. Not cheap, but I used only 3/4 or so for the jam.


Mmmm....don't those look so good. I got to washing and hulling these guys. I tripled the recipe, which meant 9 pounds of strawberries (13.5 pints). Here's why I thank myself for investing in my beast of a Le Creuset.

This is the jam after about 30 minutes of simmering with the obscene amount of sugar (no pectin). You see that light-colored stuff. That's some foam that I was supposed to be skimming off. I did...and it was tedious. I cooked the jam for about 30 minutes longer than the recipe to get the right consistency. Then the jarring...I needed four more jars than I had, so I just had to throw the stuff in some jars I had and commit to eating jam in the next four weeks since they weren't sealed. I also followed the advice of Pat and my student who said the water bath wasn't necessary. After putting "the very hot jam in the very hot jar and screwing on the very hot top," Pat wrote, flip the jar upside down on a rack for 5-10 minutes. Then flip it right-side-up and you'll hear the seal pop a few minutes later. Seems to have worked like a charm.

Here's the final product:


I like this picture because my camera seemed to focus on my lemon tree. Man, that tree has come in handy. It even contributed to the jam. Pat says that a good jam should run when you turn the jar to the side. This one does. I think it might be a bit too sweet, but Bec, Adam, and I didn't mind as we wolfed it down this morning after the race. There will definitely be more jam making in my future. My student, Julia, gave me a good recipe for plum jam...hers was amazing, made with home grown plums.

I'm looking forward to the possibility of making fig jam in August. My only question now is how many jams do I keep for myself and how many do I give away?

Final shout out to: Hopkins Blue Jay Baseball on their way to the College World Series, Hopkins Men's Lacrosse for turning a tough season into a Final Four berth, the Celtics for beating the Cavs, and the Sox for the winning weekend. Also, a shout out to Jacoby Ellsbury for his MLB streak of 25 stolen bases without being caught once, which ended this weekend (putting him third on the streak list, all-time). You know how much I love a good base stealer (and obviously someone who can turn a quick double play).

Def.: Crazytown

I don't know if you've been to Crazytown or not. Most people call it Bay To Breakers, but they are one and the same. Today was the big day. The 12K I've been busting my legs for. I took a record four ice baths this week trying to make sure I was as ready as I could be.

I am very lucky to have had Karl, Bec, and Adam to help me through the day. I stayed over at Bec and Adam's. I spent more than an hour trying to figure out the best way to get to the start by public transportation. It seemed easy, but the race website had very little information. The MUNI (SF's bus and subway system) seemed to indicate that I could get on a train at 6:01, 6:21, or 6:41 to get there early enough. The race had 22,000 finishers today but I think about 70,000 participants (many of them bandit partiers). I wanted a good position at the start so I could stick to my goals for pace. Being a total nerd, I had A, B, and C time goals. I wrote all the cumulative mile times I needed to hit for each upside down on my bib number. I was on a mission. So I left Bec's at 6:12 and walked to the train stop. As I walked, I saw a train pull up in the distance. Okay, so clearly the times on the MUNI website are wrong. I waited for 20 minutes for the next time...freezing. Today was a foggy, cloudy day in SF. Great for running...bad for waiting around in shorts and a t-shirt. The next train pulls up and the guy says, "seven dollars." What?!? Seven dollars to ride the train. The fare is $1.50, but apparently, there is Bay To Breakers pricing. I didn't have $7. I only had $4, to cover me in case I needed another train ride later. The guy I was talking to at the train stop was going to pay for me, but I felt bad about that...and about to cry, so I got off the train and ran back to Bec's. I rang her buzzer for a while, knowing I was waking them up, but I had no choice. I grabbed my keys, my phone, and my GPS and set off to drive to the start and pray for parking. I called Karl and asked for a pep talk if he could ever give me a pep talk. He's pretty good at leveling me, so he talked me through my drive. You might notice that I didn't grab my wallet...all I had was $4 and a credit card. After a bit of circling, I found a lot with some room. Again, B2B pricing. Normally a $6 lot on weekends, it was $20 for "special events." I used a gross port-a-potty, had my Gu and Accelerade and was on my way to the start. Karl reminded me to "run fast, not hard," and "make sure you have your keys in a safe place." All good reminders given my mood.

Okay, so after fighting back tears for much of my morning, I did my skipping and grapevine to the start. Mind you, I am running past people standing on sidewalks drinking beer and liquor...at 7:45 in the morning. I waded through the people (and flying tortillas-hundreds of them, tortillas that is) and tried to get as close to the start as I could but after a while, you just feel bad pushing your way to the front. The first two miles were pretty miserable...there were so many people I could hardly run, although I think in the end, all the people kept me from going out to fast. My first two miles were each one minute slower than I planned (I had to make a pit stop during mile 2) and then I hit the hill. Somehow, I was able to get through that mile a minute faster than during my training run a few weeks ago. There's something to be said for the race atmosphere...all those people definitely got me up that hill. During mile four, I felt somewhat hopeless. My pace was totally off and I felt like there was no way I could reach even my C goal (the slowest). Shortly into mile five, I saw Bec and Adam...perfect timing! They got me pumped and feeling good (as did the rolling downhill roads of the park). I was able to kick it into high gear and finish under my B time! Yay! My running time didn't match what I had on my bib until I hit the 6 mile marker. Once I realized I could get my B goal, I started booking it.

Bec and Adam met me in the park and brought an amazing homemade breakfast. After some confusion about where we were meeting and the use of a stranger's cell phone, we found each other and I got some warm clothes. It was a "cold" day. Actually, no, it was cold. No quotes. Just cold...for standing around in shorts and a t-shirt

Highlights:
-Negative splits for every mile (that means that each mile was faster than the one before).
-Finished #59 in my age group and #146 for women overall. Sweet!
-A few weeks ago, Karl asked if I thought I could imagine running under 8 minutes a mile for an hour...I said no. Today I ran exactly 8 min pace (overall) for an hour. Nice!
-My ice bath today was awesome!
-Eating my homemade strawberry jam on Bec's homemade rhubarb muffins.
-The "dog sled" team--five Cal cross country guys tied together, pulling a shopping cart with a keg, a woman running while holding onto the cart...all running faster than me.
-Seeing the salmon as they ran against us on Hayes Street Hill.
-Dance parties every 10 feet on the walk home.
-Methodically getting up the hill (down, down, down...)
-The band Meshuggah...guys dressed like Hassidim, playing Hawaii-like beachy music.
-I didn't get hit by any flying tortillas.
-At the post-race festivities, they had sensors that read our chips and printed out our time and place. Awesome!
-The lifeguard blowing her whistle and yelling "No Running!" That cracked me up.
-The genius idea (Karl's) of writing my goal times on my bib...that kept me running fast at the end.
-Miles 5,6 and 7 were almost a 3-mile PR for me...slower by only 8 seconds.
-The end result being a reminder to always, always trust the training.

Not so highlights:
-Many, many naked men. Most of them were not really the kind of men you want to see naked. It's quite jarring to just be walking down the street and then realize that your arm swing was just about a foot from someone's genitalia.
-More public urination than you can imagine...we literally saw more than a hundred people leaning up against or squatting below trees in the panhandle. You have no idea. The homeless guys were heard saying, "And we have to live here..." Bummer.
-The naked female teacher next to me at the start with her heart rate monitor right under her huge breasts. What's the point of the monitor at that point?
-Having to take a pit stop after mile one. It wasn't that bad...just discouraging to stop and wait.
-The chafing of my awesome new sports bra (honoring Joan Benoit's Olympic marathon win). C'mon Nike! You know how to make a better product.

Bec took pictures and video...hopefully, we'll figure out how to post them here.
Next up: 5K in four weeks (hours before I leave for Nic.) to help me set up my training paces for the summer. Half Marathon training starts June 16 in Nicaragua.

Why It's All Worth It

So, Ali is starting to discover while all that annoying stuff about pregnancy is worth is (baby Miles came today...yippee!) and today, my job just seems worth it.

I am just coming off a crazy two weeks of finals at school. Just about every day was non-stop and I was without as much sleep as I'd like. But today, was one of those amazing days at my school. One highlight was the freshman speeches. Every 9th grader in the school writes a persuasive speech. They have been presenting their speeches in front of their classmates, but today was the day when eight lucky babes got to speak in front of the whole school. The topic is of their choosing, and we heard about teen sex, the evils of plastic water bottles, immigration, why Taco Bell is not Mexican food, why television is horrible, and why Disney is perpetuating a bad stereotype for girls. Every kid who was a ninth grader at my school has written a speech and presented it to their classmates, so it's no surprise that all students were amazing attentive and respectful for this cohort. Well, it's not a surprise now that I've been here a year. It's absolutely amazing to show so much interest in what these kids were saying. So, that refreshed me.

After speeches, I got to go out to lunch with my mentor group. They are so great...the 11th graders that basically showed me the ropes of the school and are so near and dear to me. After lunch, we did "epic" appreciations. Every Thursday, we do appreciations about our week. On Thanksgiving, we did big ones and today, I asked my students to appreciate something from this year. Think big, kids! So many of them appreciated their teachers for all the support this school gives its students. I appreciated them for welcoming me so much this year and for always wanting to learn more about math. Yeah, they are typical kids who complain about too much homework, but they really do want to learn and they respect their teachers for our role in that. It's amazing.

Oh, and the highlight of my day (and this is the kind of thing that can only happen at my school): A student came up to me with a water gun (a little one) and squirted me. I chased him a bit, but let him go. Then I saw him run after someone else. I snuck up behind him, took the gun, and pinned him to the floor with a stream of water to the applause of 50-100 kids. It didn't take long for the legend to spread. Only at my school...

Finally, I spent my night at the prom. I'm going to need to ice bath tomorrow, since I did a bit too much dancing, given the race I have in less than 36 hours. I was almost as sweaty as Ali's wedding (it is over 90 degrees here lately) because I love to dance...a lot. I am definitely not the most gifted but I do have fun getting everyone up to boogie (did I write about the spontaneous dance party two weeks ago at school?). I really just can't resist the music...maybe as a teacher I shouldn't be on the dance floor, but once I'm in the room with some good tunes, I have no discipline. I hope I get to have a wedding that's just a crazy fun dance party...with seltzer to keep me hydrated (they only had soda and water that was not cold enough). I hope that at this hypothetical wedding, I am marrying someone who loves to dance with me! And who doesn't mind the sweating. After the past two weeks, I am even more convinced that teachers absolutely earn every day of their two months of summer vacation. I have never worked so hard and been so crazed every moment of every day as these last few weeks, but breaking it down to "Thriller" with students loving the presence of their teachers on the dance floor...it's all worth it.

Smell 'Em

Bec and I stopped to smell all there was to smell at the Berkeley Rose Garden. It is spectacular there! We met a cute bookstore before heading up to the olfactory wonderland. They have a pergola there with climbing roses all over it--can I have one of those when I grow up? Anyway, whenever you want me to take you to see these, let me know. I've only been there around this time of year, so I don't know the window, but plan for a May visit to see them. It was nice to have this beautiful garden to remind me of my mom...can't wait to see what she's done with hers!

From there, we dined at Pizzaiolo, a place recommended to me by the Baggs. If you are ever in search of a great restaurant, just ask the Baggs...they never disappoint in their recommendations. We waited for about 20 minutes or so. I enjoyed a big bottle of sparkling water while we sat outside on some benches. It was a beautiful night, so the wait was painless. Once inside, we were served some amazing bread...so nice and yeasty (not KforP as Rebecca noted--kosher for passover...I'm hoping KforP catches on in the texting shortcut world). We ordered the avocado and pickled beet salad with ginger, cilantro, and marash pepper. I could have stopped there and been absolutely satisfied. Maybe only CKB knows about my absolute love for beets (since he has a similar love), but now you all know...I love beets! This salad had the most ripe avocados, purple and golden beets that were just perfect and the pepper was so yummy; just the right amount of spice. Our pizza came--nettles with pecorino. The crust was a bit burnt in places but it was still so yummy. Again, let me know when I can take you to this place.

Our final stop of the night was to the Chabot Space and Science Center. On Friday and Saturday nights, the open their telescopes to the public for free (weather permitting). It was hard for me to believe that we were still in Oakland after winding our way for miles and miles up into the hills. The night was perfect...no clouds and the fog held off until we were done. Apparently, yesterday was International Astronomy Day (I have not confirmed this), which means that amateur astronomers come out with their telescopes and set up in neighborhoods, parks, etc and let people enjoy the sites. We got to see Saturn and some of its moon through a 93 year old telescope named Rachel. It hardly seemed real it was so like you think Saturn would look. A little ball with rings around it. Bec kept claiming that it looked like a sticker. It really did. Then, we chatted with some amateur guys who built their own telescopes and taught us a lot. It's so cool to talk with people who are passionate about sharing something they love...usually people tend to be good teachers in those cases.

Overall, a quality Bay Area day. I'm hoping that my mom does not comment on the quality of my hair in the picture. My PT taped my calves up to see if some relief could be provided for them while I run. I didn't want to risk losing the adhesion of the tape prior to my Sunday run, so I went sans shower for Saturday. Needless to say, I was not asked on any dates (shocking, I know). Although I did get some attention (negative) for my Red Sox shirt while at dinner.

So Much To Write, So Little Time

I'm sitting in a standardized test right now. My students are taking their English STAR test. In California, students have to take a STAR test in every core subject from 2nd-11th grade or something crazy like that. We have just finished our penultimate week of real school. Next week is the last week before we go to Intersession (prof dev for the adults, elective classes for the kiddos). It's so weird to be "done" so early.

Anyway, all's well here. Running is great; I'm really excited about the race next weekend. I've pretty much done all the work there is to do...just got to stay healthy. On Sunday, I'm going to go on a group run from the Nike store near my house. Who knows how that will go, but they claim that you will get a free gift if you go. Done!

I went to the Maker Faire in San Mateo last week with my friend JD. Literally, it was just lots and lots of people who make stuff--robots, sewing projects, a life-size mousetrap, things out of bikes, and power tool drag racing vehicles. It was amazing. At one point, I hit JD and said, "Look, there are people driving cupcakes around!" I will post pictures of that soon.

My pedaling classes are going well (I've been co-teaching and solo teaching with the instructor in the class). It's fun to plan the class and the music. Upcoming playlists will be an Oldies mix, 80's mix, and songs with the word "Crazy" in the title. I just have to figure out how I can use the Y this summer as I bop around the east. I've got Ft. Laudie all set with Nana's Y, but I'll need my pedaling fix every so often.

Every day is beautiful here in California. It's sunny all the time, we get to eat lunch outside (this makes my day!), it's nice and cozy warm, and the farmer's markets are starting to bust with produce. In fact, April through October is just pretty nice, if you are thinking about visiting.