Running + Chia Pudding… two things I love!

It’s been a few weeks since I wrote my last blog post, mostly because my schedule has been looking a little crazy and my days have been filled up with work, interning, coursework, birthday celebrations, friends from out of town, reunions, housework, commuting from apartment to house, and serving my super fussy grandma pup because my whole family is out of town and we are all living under a different roof. Kind of mind-boggling, isn’t it?

To say the least, the past few weeks I have had so many meet-ups and reunions, but yet, I have never felt so alone. There’s just something unsettling about returning to an empty family home, and having no one to talk to at the end of the day makes me feel all sort of lonesome and disconnected. Living in the small space of my apartment in the city is different because the bar across the street is always bustling, there’s constant white noise from the streets, and the sky is never really dark, so even when you are alone, you never really feel alone. But when you have a house all to yourself in a forested neighbourhood, the world suddenly seems so much bigger and scarier, and it doesn’t help that I’m still oddly terrified of my basement, so I’d run up the stairs like there’s no tomorrow when I close the garage door.

I feel like while I crave the presence of others, I also really need alone time, so I have no idea why I feel so alone when I’d refuse to meet up with someone in the evening. The human mind is confusing.

Oftentimes, my early mornings and evenings are what I allot for myself as “me time”, a time for reflection and a time to just be alone with my thoughts. This is also the time I have a lot of conversations with myself: figuring out all my doubts, insecurities, frustrations, planning out my day, reflecting on the conversations had with others, asking questions, shifting perspectives, laughing to myself (& oftentimes at myself)… everything and anything in-between. And as long as time exists, even if my schedule is looking wacky, there is time for it all; just gotta make time for the important things, and for me, it’s just getting outside in the mornings, hearing my own footsteps, breathing hard, pushing hard, and running wild + free.

Most people like to have a light breakfast before heading out for their workout in the morning, but for me, I usually wake up, brush up, lace up, and go before my mind realizes what the heck I am actually doing. And by the time I’m outside and running, all focus is toward every step, going faster, getting stronger, and beating my own clock (& mileage). But before that, it usually precedes with “omg it’s so cold. gah, under my blanket sounds really nice. wait, is… that a raindrop? did I forget my keys? oh nope, got it in the pocket. ok it’s actually freezing, why am I not wearing a jacket. I’m going to overheat in 2 minutes, that’s why. ok enough pity party: run faster, get warm faster. ready, set, go”. Summer or winter, even though I love being outside with all my heart, I’ll have same conversation with myself before I get out the door because let’s be real, getting out of bed before the sun rises is totally hard to do when it’s freezing cold in the morning and the bed is so warm and cozy.

Definitely going off topic because the whole point of me talking about my morning was to say that I usually have my breakfast after my workout; unless I go on a run or ride that will be over 90 minutes, I’d always just eat when I get back. My body works more efficiently this way, but I do know that most people, like Leung, need to have something small in their stomaches beforehand, and chia pudding is a really great option! Fits the bill for slow stable energy and hydration. These little seeds pack an impressive punch of plant-based omega fatty acids, antioxidants, and amino acids.

I love a jar of this before a long day of hiking, or just as an every day breakfast after a good sweat sesh before I go about my day. Sometimes I keep it plain with whatever plant-based mylk is on sale that week + whatever fruit is in-season (or on sale… who am I kidding), and sometimes I like to play with it using things like cacao nibs, bee pollen, spirulina, nut butters to really dress it up and make it extra delicious (which sometimes ends up looking like some alien food when I take it out and eat it on the bus, especially when I mix in spirulina). I remember my prof used to be like “are you eating that green algae oatmeal again” every time I walked into class with my jar of green alien food hahahha. It’s a great conversation starter because I got to know a lot of people in that class from eating this green thing for breakfast every day.

But today, I’m not teaching you how to make the green monster chia pudding; this is even better. I love adzuki beans, but I can’t really see it being used as a savoury dish (unlike other types of beans) just because I’ve only been exposed to adzuki beans in mochi and sweet soups. Maybe that’s why I have the best impression of adzuki beans… it’s my sweet tooth saying a heck ya!

If you’ve never had these beans, from my experience, you can find them at any asian supermarket, or in the ethnic foods aisle of a big grocery store. And if you can’t find them anywhere, I bet other beans will work just as well! So if you have other beans in your pantry that you’d rather use, try using those!

I just realized I got bit by so many mosquitoes on my run this morning cause it was rainy and I didn’t put on bug spray. Got bit in the weirdest spots… going out in public will be interesting. Also, I can’t stop looking at the perfect reflection of the trees in the lake of the photo below. It’s absolutely unreal.

I remember when we used to play the “Name Game” on the first week of school, and I’d always introduce myself as “Running Rachel”, except for one time when I thought I was cool so I said “Rad Rachel”. Felt just a bit weird saying that hahahahaha, how embarrassing! It’s pretty much the equivalent of saying “Cool Cole” or “Groovy Greg” hahahhahaha, what was I thinking?! At least “Running Rachel” is kind of accurate. “Radioactive Rachel” is probably not a bad choice either cause I’ve gotten way too many x-rays on my foot to count, so my foot just may be radioactive. Okay, definitely getting late and I’m going way off topic. I’ll be “Responsible Rachel” and share the recipe for y’all now! Having way too much fun with all the possibilities of alliteration (;