RE-active

Going back to when the kids were young New Year’s Day is a family day. Even when the kids were in college we connected for brunch after they were able to get moving. The idea was family is first priority so the first activity of the new year should be about family.

Elizabeth and I have kept the tradition going today with a great day in San Francisco. It was a low key walk with an emphasis on photo taking and exploring. We walked 5 miles but that wasn’t the point. Here are a few pictures from today’s outing.

New Years Eve for me is about closing out the workout books on the year, doing the Last Chance Workout, and totaling everything up.

For my Last Chance Workout I closed with a half marathon. I had some issues this year that hampered my running so being able to run a 1/2 on the last day of the year was a nice way to celebrate.

I’m proud of my year end bike and run numbers. I ended with a solid run year and a best in my life ride year.

A great joy to me is being able to do fun rides with Elizabeth so being able to end the workout year with a little bike ride, get coffee and get bagels is fantastic.

The day was a wonderful way to end the year. On to new adventures and goals in 2021.

I recently participated in a small, local 10K fund-raiser run. I ran with my wife, which was a lot of fun. As we approached the finish line, we heard the announcer enthusiastically welcoming each participant by name with an uplifting congratulations.  I have been to a lot of races, big budget and small, and this was the best execution of finish-line announcing I have experienced.  The announcer was Dave Stark and with his energy and enthusiasm, he completely heightened the energy and fun level of the finish-line area for everyone. Dave really brought something to that event.

That got me thinking about the concept of how we personally contribute to any given situation.  I reflected on recent events, both work and personal, and asked myself whether I contributed all the positivity and enthusiasm I could.  I carry this thought forward with me into each day challenging myself to do as Dave did at that race, to bring the energy and enthusiasm to make any situation better and to uplift he people around me.

Elizabeth and I have been involved with fundraising for Meals on Wheels for 4 years now. It started with doing their annual bike ride around the Tri-Valley. It evolved to recruiting others to sign up for the ride, and this year we took it one step further by creating our own fundraising events.

We appreciate the work Meals on Wheels does and their mission of ending senior hunger in the communities they operate in. We felt compelled to support their mission. With aging parents we can see how important it is to check in on these folks and get them a hot meal. It may be the only human contact they have.

A good friend of ours, Amy, is a certified yoga instructor and we asked her if she would be willing to lead a yoga class for our friends to benefit Meals on Wheels. She enthusiastically jumped at the chance. We invited friends from our various circles to join us for the class and make a donation to the site of any amount they see fit. We invited 40 people for a Saturday evening class and 24 were able to participate. (Not all shown below)

It was a wonderful event. Having our friends come together for a good cause and do a physical activity was truly special. We arranged for some light refreshments after so people could hang out and socialize for a while. We raised $1,200, brought friends together and had a lot of fun. With the help of other friends we have three other fundraising events before the October 13th ride. Being able to help out has brought Elizabeth and I a lot of joy and gratification. If you would like to make a donation here is the link DONATE

#mealsonwheels #fundraiser #yoga #bicycle #clubsport

This week I wanted to get beets into the drink creation. Here is what I have for you. I took these ingredients with 3 cups of water and blended well in the Vita-mixer. Depending how you feel about the taste of beets, you can add more lemon juice to mask the flavor. #blenderdrink #healthy #beets #blueberry

After a long hot bike ride today I blended up this healthy hydration formula.

5 cups filtered water

3 Teaspoon Matcha powder

1 Tablespoon DFH Paleo Greens

1 Tablespoon pure lemon juice

1 Teaspoon honey

2 Sleeves UCAN Hydration

2 Cups Ice

Put it all in a strong blender and blend it up. Makes about 8 cups. Enjoy.

#hydration #nutrition

I recently had the opportunity to visit Seattle on a work trip which gave me two chances to run and explore the city. I did my usual pre-trip recon so I knew roughly the sites I wanted to hit. I had to hit the icons, Space Needle, Pikes Market , and the water front area. Like all good cities those key points just create the framework for discovery of all the interesting nooks and crannies waiting to be discovered. Here are the two routes I took

I stayed right by the ballparks so that was my jumping off point. The Space Needle was cool to see but it’s looking pretty dated. It now looks campy, retro futuristic rather than futuristic.

I really enjoyed Pikes Market and seeing the OG Starbucks but what I found super cool was all the public art that was around – wall, sculpture, public, you name it.

The city was easy to navigate and felt safe. Drivers and people on the streets were courteous and friendly. I didn’t do a lot by the water from because of the major highway and then some city construction. I found the inner part of the city to be much more interesting. There were some things I didn’t get to see this time around that’s ok though because that leaves something for the next time.