Tri-ed Some Paleo Dishes…

How about this for a Saturday… from being a triathlon spectator to sampling paleo dishes, to some homemade carrot, zucchini, chocolate chip bread.  We are counting down until our flight to Maui tomorrow, and had a fantastic final day before departure.

Our morning began early, hustling around packing up the last minute items and then heading out to Rancho Seco to watch the Arden Park Triathlon Moms compete in their first Sprint Triathlon.  The Arden Park Triathlon Moms and one dad, were spearheaded by Laura, the dolphins bead lady, and team motivator who gathered a group of moms and approached me in helping them get a little pool time.  With her help we were able to create a triathlon training class through the park district, and we had great numbers, and excitement throughout the summer.  In addition to the swimming, the team moms went on weekly rides and early morning runs, working hard to train for this weekend.  Kids soccer interfered with the original race they planned on (which was a little longer in distance), and so this race was the culmination of their efforts.

With ideal morning temperatures, Melissa and I arrived at Rancho Seco to the smiling faces of 11 Arden Park racers.  TBF racing gave them their own bike rack since they had over 10 athletes, and they were all grinning from ear to ear as they were getting suited up, and finishing up some last minute details.  Their heat all started together and at 8:05 they set off for their 400 yard swim.  The group fanned out, and then bottle-necked at the first buoy, but everyone made it in to the beach with a smile, completing what I imagine was their most difficult leg.  It was incredible that each of racers managed to compete in an open water triathlon swim after 3 months in the pool.  From the transition, they were off on an eight mile bike ride, and finished the day with a two mile run.  All smiles when the race was through, and Melissa and I thoroughly enjoyed being spectators and being entertained not just by the athletes, but by the cute kids cheering on their parents.

In the end, we the results were incredible, and we took a lot of photos.

From Rancho Seco, we headed to Stockton, where we stopped and enjoyed a visit with one of Melissa’s friends, Jenny.  Jenny worked with Melissa for a short stint at REI before she went to South-East Asia and taught in North Korea and traveled for a little over a year-and-a-half.  Jenny’s 29th birthday is tomorrow, and she was having a gathering in the park – a picnardy as she called it!  Jenny began by describing some health problems that she experienced while in South Asia, and since returning home she has discovered the paleo diet.  This party was not only about celebrating another year, and the final year of her 20’s, but also about sharing her enthusiasm about discovering a healthy diet that has literally changed her life.  She described symptom relief, better concentration and clearer thoughts, higher energy levels, and an overall better sense of health and wellness.  For me, I always enjoy hearing people’s stories, and in this case it was a sampling as well.  Jenny and her soft spoken mother, had spent the whole night (literally they went to bed at 4:30am), preparing delicious paleo dishes including paleo pizza, meatloaf, mango salad, stuffed pumpkin, veggies, some tasty apple and almond meal dip that looked like refried beans, it was all incredible and the best part was that she called it a picnarty, a combination of a picnic and a party, and that it was.  It wasn’t just about the good food, but the conversation, excitement, and travel stories that made us all realize just how precious life is and how fortunate we all are.  Thank you for inviting us and sharing your love of cooking.