Running in Unfamiliar Places

I've been blogging from my parents' home the last couple of days since I'm visiting them for the long holiday weekend. It's been quite some time since I've spent more than a day here so it's been nice to hang out with them. They love to feed me and you know me...I can't say no to delicious food. I think I mentioned this before but my parents are amazing cooks. That's why I'm such a good little eater.

During the summer, I can eat snow ice everyday! If you've never had snow ice, it's like the love-child of froyo and shaved ice. So good!

With all the eating I've been doing these past couple of days I knew it would be a bad idea to blow off my long run this weekend. Believe me, I wanted to. It's so hot outside! But I didn't. I went to bed early last night and managed to get up before sunrise to beat the heat. I was only 75% successful because now I'm a few shades darker than when left my parents' house this morning.

I have to say that living in the OC has spoiled me when it comes to having access to nicely maintained running paths with very minimal traffic lights or stops required. The cities surrounding my parents' place is not exactly runner friendly. You are basically running on concrete sidewalks the whole time along busy streets that require waiting at traffic lights to cross every ten minutes or so. Can you imagine how fun that can get over a two to three hour run? Not! I thought about driving to Long Beach or Santa Monica to run on the bike path but decided that was just a waste of gas. There is a bike path nearby (the Rio Hondo Bike Path) that runs all the way to Seal Beach but I question the safety of said path so I decided to be safe than sorry and skip it.

So this is what I had to do yesterday to ensure that I got my long run in today or as I like to call it...how to plan a long ass run in the middle of a busy ass city. I know, I'm so eloquent.

1) Google the area for trails and paths that other runners have already scoped out, no need to create anything new if something is already there. Then Google a couple of different sources/forums to see if the path is safe and if there are lots of other runners on it. If this fails, go to the next step.

2) Go to MapMyRun and map out a course according to the desire distance you want to run. Then, use the street-view feature at a couple of different points along the course on the map to check out what it will look like when you actually get there.

3) If you have the time or opportunity, drive the route the night before. This is extremely helpful. If there are sections that looks unsafe, questionable or if there is construction, make a mental note to reroute to another street. Also, it is helpful to note which side of the street you want to run on because one side may be flatter or have smoother pavement than the other side.

4) If you are unfamiliar with the area, having someone to run or bike with you is priceless. If not, be mindful of your surroundings and run without music. Just leave your iPod at home. I ran the whole time without mine today because I was busy looking out for cars, cyclists and people popping out onto the sidewalk out of nowhere.

5) Be safe! I guess this applies to running anywhere but I felt more aware of it today because I was running in unfamiliar territories. Wear lots of sunscreen, carry a cellphone, ID bracelet, pepper spray, fuel belt/handheld bottle/hydration vest and money to purchase more liquid when you run out because there may or may not be any water fountains on your route. I saw one water fountain on my run this morning and it was not working. Boo. Remember to mention to a family member or friend about your run and course info so someone knows where you are and may be able to come and get you if something happens.

I ran by Cal Tech today!

I was thankful that my little sister agreed to bike along with me today to keep me company during the early morning hours. We made this into a little adventure and it was one of the more interesting long runs I've done in a long time. I'm super impressed that she was able to bike that far since she has not biked in years and I think she told me that the furthest she has rode was 5 miles. On top of that, the first half of the run was all uphill with over 500 ft of elevation gain. She is such a trooper! Quitters need not apply. :0) We got lost a couple of times and it was hot as heck out there but we managed to complete 17 miles running through five different cities. What a day!

Friday Favorites

I got up early this morning solely for the purpose of going out for a jog to see how my legs are feeling. Just as I suspect. Still sore. So I went on a leisurely 3 mile walk. I don't know why I don't do that more often. It was pretty awesome. I think I'll give it a few more days before trying again. I'm very excited to start training again. My next race isn't for another 3 months so I get to ramp up at a more reasonable rate. I'm already plotting my next training cycle. Which reminds me, I need new running shoes.

Friday! Why has this 4-day work week seem like the longest ever? I'm about to jump out the window. TGIF! I'm heading to Vegas this weekend. It looks like it is going to be about a billion degrees. Not sure what's on tap but I'll be back on Monday to share.

So this post was started yesterday but I never got around to finishing it so it is morphing from a Three Things Thursday post to a Friday Favorites post. That's some fancy finagling on my part. Plus, I only had 2 things to talk about so it all worked out. Have a great weekend!

1) Bananas - I can't stand bananas but I started eating one everyday as a snack or for breakfast. I did this the entire month leading into my recent marathon. For some reason, I felt like I was low on potassium levels but maybe that was all in my head but it couldn't hurt I reasoned. Some days I ate them straight up, other days covered in chocolate/nuts/PB. I have to admit that I liked them the best when they are covered in chocolate...and even more when they are also covered in nuts. I even blended it up in smoothies. There were even days when I would eat two just for good measure. I like my bananas when they are still showing a little tiny bit of green but I've been known to eat the yellow ones and even the ones with some black dots on them. So I guess they are not so bad and I feel like they are somehow helping me with my running. Maybe that's all in my head as well.

2) Protein powder - There was a time when protein powder was a part of my everyday routine. Primarily when I was lifting more in the weight room but then one day I just stopped using it. Mostly because I didn't like the way protein powder tasted. Any of them. Then one day after a week of hard workouts, I felt so beat up that I didn't think that I would be able to do my long run that weekend. That night at dinner, my husband and I exchanged our usual "sore" stories, which basically starts out with tales of our workouts and end with where and how sore we were. So I was telling him about how much more sore I was feeling lately and he told me that I probably needed to start taking protein powder again after my workouts. Blah! But then I remembered that awhile back I had purchased a giant jar of BSN's Syntha-6 Chocolate PB protein powder and it was just sitting there on my kitchen counter unused. I've forgotten how yummy it was. Yeah I said it, it's yummy! It's like chocolate milk or a milkshake if you blend it up with some ice. I normally mix it with some soy milk and a little bit of water because I don't like it too thick. I also have the Vanilla Ice Cream one and that one is also very good. Protein powder has been essential this past month with helping me recover quickly so that I can conquer the next workout. I'm glad I found one that I actually like the taste of.

10 Delicious Things I Ate in 2012

It's that time of year again. Year in review...list compiling...whatever it is called, I have some to share. This year, I'd like to start off with my favorite one...the food! For the past couple of years, I've compiled a list of all the delicious things eaten during the year.

I normally start the list in January and add to it every time I eat something that makes my heart skip a beat. There have been years when I've had to cut from the list because there were just too many contenders. While other years, I've had to dig through my photo gallery to remind my taste buds.

Anyhow, here is 2012's list! Food is very simple in concept but when it is crafted by a talented chef it becomes a complex masterpiece. I've selected the below items based on either one or a combination of: flavor, freshness, balance, composition, uniqueness and a couple of the items were selected if only because someone took a very simple dish and made it above and beyond.

Mangia bene!

1) Spaghetti Scoglio at Olio E Limone Ristorante (Santa Barbara, CA)

2) Farmers Salad w/ Grilled Shrimps at Cucina Enoteca (Irvine, CA)

3) Koi Ramen at Kohyu (Costa Mesa, CA)

4) The Shrimp and Scallops Mesquite Grilled Salad at the Original Fish Company (Cypress, CA)

5) Chirashi at Toshi Sushi (Little Tokyo, Downtown LA)

6) Chocolate Cake/Cupcake at French's Cupcake Bakery (Costa Mesa, CA)

7) Buffalo Sloppy Joe's at Beachwood BBQ (Long Beach, CA)

8) Brunch at Tap's Fishhouse (Brea, CA)

9) Paella at Catal Restaurant (Downtown Disney, Anaheim CA) - it's hard to find paella here in the OC, so this ended up on my list if only because it's been a really long time since I've had it.

10) Cupcakes from My Delight Cupcakery (in particular the Dulce de Leche!) (Ontario, CA and via their cupcake truck)

Three Things Thursday

Looks like it is starting to cool down a little bit around these parts. I snapped this photo the other day when the inside of my car doubled as an oven.

This week has been very stressful for me. Mostly emotionally. I wouldn't call myself an emotional eater but I do tend to comfort myself with food when I am feeling on edge. Sometimes I comfort myself with healthy stuff...

...sometimes not so much. I wasn't even craving this cupcake but I ate it anyways. It didn't fill my emotional void. Plus, this cupcake earned me 5 miles on the treadmill this morning. I won't be letting stuff like this happen again.

Finally, I went back to track yesterday after taking 2 weeks off. My calf seems to be all better so I am starting back up nice and slow. The sun decided to give me a break yesterday. As soon as I started my first lap, a patch of clouds rolled over the track which made for some cooler mile repeats.

Three Things Thursday

1) The NY Marathon Opening Day was yesterday and looks like I didn't get selected for the second time. I'm kind of bummed about this since some of my running friends from work are going. Oh well. I'll have to wait and see if I still want to go in 2013. 

2) It was Administrative Professional Day yesterday and Sister K sent me this really cute ecard! <3 My boss gave me a gift certificate to that place that rhymes with "tutu". He's just the best boss EVER!

3) I'm headed to Big Sur this weekend. There is probably a race involved with this trip. I'm not going to lie, I plan my vacations around races. Don't you? If you say 'no', you are not my people. Okay, you might still be my people but we are definitely not running kindred spirits. You don't want to be my kindred spirit of any kind? Yeah me either. Why am I having a convo by myself here?

4) Okay I lied, there is a fourth thing. I played tennis for the first time in a million years. I even dug out my tennis playing outfit. Which reminds me that I need to go and get a new outfit. Maybe there is something nice over at that place that rhymes with "tutu".

Eleven

Today's post is brought to you by the number 11...AH AH AH AH AH!

 
I was tagged by Krissy over at Shiwase Life for this 11 question thing. I was number 10 on her list of 10 people so I beat out some lucky sucker...just kidding Krissy. Thanks for thinking of me. No one has ever tagged me before because 1) I have no friends and 2) It's hard lame to play tag by oneself. This thing looks long and tedious but since this is my first tag and Krissy seems like such a sweet person on Twitter, I will play along.

Here is how it works:
1. Post these rules.
2. You must post 11 random things about yourself.
3. Answer the questions set for you in their post.
4. Create 11 new questions for the people you tag to answer.
5. Go to their blog and tell them you’ve tagged them.
6. No stuff in the tagging section like “you are tagged if you are reading this”. You (the blogger) legitimately have to tag 11 (or so) people.

11 Random Things About Me
1. I have memories from when I was only 6 months old. My mom has confirmed that these memories are accurate.
2. I've been on a boat invaded by real life pirates in the South Pacific.
3. Malaria almost took my life when I was a toddler.
4. I lived on a small island in Indonesia for 6 months.
5. I've passed out once from over exertion at a track meet.
6. My second sister and I share the exact same middle name.
7. I have a fear of heights.
8. My given Asian name means Jade in English.
9. I spoke only Vietnamese from the age of 4-8.
10. I fear going to the dentist more than the average person.
11. I'm attracted to the color purple.

Krissy's Questions

1. What is your favorite Amusement/Theme Park? Universal Studios
2. Would you rather visit the Ocean or the Mountains? Ocean
3. If you could visit any destination in the world, where would it be? Italy
4. What is the one food or drink you could NEVER EVER give up? Water
5. If there was a movie released about your life, who would play you? Michelle Yeoh, just because there aren't really that many Asian actress that are well known in the US.
6. What is your favorite quote or song lyric? Any and all quotes from the Princess Bride movie.
7. Do you have a crazy, far-fetched bucket list item in your life?  (I am sure you do!) What is it? I actually don't have a list. I know, so boring.
8. Where’s the best place to get breakfast/brunch where you live?  What do you order? I love the French Toast at Side Street Cafe (Newport Beach, CA).
9. If you could compete in any Olympic Sport, what would it be? Track and Field
10. Who is your favorite news anchor? Don't have one.
11. If you could have a $5K shopping spree at any store, which would you choose? Target

So the buck ends here since as I mentioned above, I have no friends. Plus I think everyone that I know online has already filled out one of these things. 

Track and Fail

Today's post will be in list format because I am short on time but not on talking about useless info.  

1) Thank you for the nice comments despite my lackluster performance at Carlsbad last weekend.

2) Track workout! Haven't done any in a really long time. Felt like an overgrown slug out there. In an effort to resurrect ORF (Operation Run Faster), I tagged along for some 800s with Sarah and Margot this morning. Let me just say that getting up at the butt crack of dawn to do track work is not my idea of a good time but it helps to have other people there to suffer with. It was all very casual and they did not make me feel bad that I was a giant slug. I did a couple of warm-up laps before Sarah and Margot showed up and then did a couple more with them. We did 6 sets of 800s. Well I did them at my own pace. I've gotten slower since the last time I did track work (even my best lap was about 10 seconds slower than my previous time) but this is a good start to build from. The important thing is that I am looking forward to going back to improve on these.

1) 3:39
2) 3:35
3) 3:43
4) 3:50
5) 3:47
6) 3:40

I guess eating this buffalo burger from Whole Foods last night was a good call. Ok, maybe not. It wasn't very good either.

3) I spent some time last night working on my Tinkerbell Half costume. I am a big arts and craft nerd so this sort of thing is right up my alley. It is almost complete!

4) Finally, if you happen to be looking for some compression wear, head on over to Aspaeris because they are having a 50% off sale this week. Use code "cooleronline" at checkout! 

2012 Fitness and Personal Goals and Happy New Year!

They say that the end of the world is coming. In 2012! That's like this year. Already? Wow! I haven't dined at the French Laundry yet, the end can't be near! Why even bother with anything let alone making resolutions? Well you're gonna look pretty stupid when the day comes and nothing happens and you've already quit your job, emptied your bank account, ate nothing but Twinkies all year and haven't bathe since 12/31/2011...that or the world actually comes to an end. Either way you're screwed so let's get on with the resolutions making. Chop chop!

Here are mine! I feel like this list should include things like "buying a lambo or finally putting in the biggest closet in the world in my huge mansion."

Fitness Goals:
1) Run more miles in 2012 than in 2011. I ran 1,117 miles in 2011.
2) Run a 3:40 marathon. Hefty hefty goal for me.
3) Run a 10K race. Beat PR of 50:10.
4) Run a half marathon in the 1:30s
5) Run another trail race.
6) Bike outside more
7) Attempt 100 Push program again
8) Go to yoga at least once a month

Personal Goals:
1) Stop swearing/cussing. I'm setting up a "swear jar" to remind myself of this goal.
2) Volunteer
3) Recycle more - I already practice recycling but I'll do a little more.
4) Eat less processed food
5) Find ways to stress less
6) Try to survive the end of the world! Another hefty hefty goal. I'm going to head over to my sister's. She has a zombie survival kit just like this one. Everyone should have one. Everyone. Happy New Year!!!

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Revisiting My 2011 New Year's Resolutions

It is almost that time of year again. I'm talking about resolution making time. Last year around this time I went back to my list to check off all that I had accomplished and push out or remove all the items that were no longer relevant. It was kind of fun so I'm doing it again this year. My goal is always to check off as many items as possible. So what were my 2011 resolutions? 

2011 Fitness Goals:
1) Run more miles in 2011 than in 2010. I ran 1,084 miles in 2010. That is the number I need to beat.
Accomplished! Not by a whole lot but I still did it. As of 12/30 I am at 1,117. DONE!

2) Run a sub-4 hour marathon. I am so close. I can do it!
I can proudly say that I finally did this! Yay! Actually I did this twice! DONE!

3) Sign up for a 10K race. Beat PR of 50:10. Revisiting a distance I haven't raced in a long time.
Well this goal is half done so I will need to push this one over to 2012. I did sign up for a 10K but I ran it for fun with Sister K so no new PR but it was so much fun!

4) Climb a kiddie rock wall to the top. Remember in this post when I tried to climb but only got 3 feet off the ground and got scared. Yes I am afraid of heights.
This goal is a total fail. Namely I am still afraid of heights and have not taken any steps to get over it. Pushing out to 2012.

4a) Climb a giant indoor wall or ride a hot air balloon.
Also pushing out to 2012. 

5) Run another trail race.
Yay another goal completed. DONE!

2011 Personal Goals:
1) Plan 2012 European trip
This trip is currently on hold so pushing out to the distance future. 

2) Organize my living space.
Work in progress! Pushing out.

3) Volunteer at least once this year.
Okay this one was another fail. Pushing out.

4) Learn some French and/or Italian.
I am removing this one for the time being but may add it back on at a later time.  

Three out of a bunch isn't bad. Okay well maybe it is but who's counting? Up next are my 2012 goals and resolutions. Go big or go home I always say. No, I actually never say stuff like that and I'll probably end up going home but nothing gets me going quite like a challenge. Game on!

Friday Five Favs (12/16)

I was looking through my photos recently and noticed that it's been awhile since I've done a Friday Five Favs. At this rate, I should probably rename this to Quarterly Quality Quintettes. I made that up and it was bad but it is Friday and I got nothin'. Have to get ready in a couple of hours for holiday party number four. Should I get sloshed? Probably not a good idea since I have a long run in the morning. Don't mind me, I'm just talking to myself. Okay, let's get back to Friday five...

1) I love flowers! I started this collage at the beginning of 2011 and this is what I have now. These were either sent, given to me or that I purchased from the farmers market. Any day that I am surrounded by some flowers is a good day.

2) This is not my first pair of Injinis but I love these lightweight "no-show" ultra thin performance socks. I purchased 2 pairs recently and I always wear these on race days now.

3) I have some sun spots from running outside and I really like this Even Better lotion from Clinique that is suppose to erase spots. I don't know if it really "erases" them, more like lightly fades them. It is a slow process. Don't expect overnight results. It does lighten the spots but it takes time. 

4) Pomegranates the size of my dog's head! He was weird-ed out that I was using him as a unit of measurement.

5) Fake eyelashes! My eyelashes are nonexistent so I fake it. They are a pain to put on but are dramatic when you get them on correctly. They are not for everyday unless you have a lot of time on your hands or become an expect at getting them on quickly but they are fun for parties and special occasions. I love them! Which reminds me that I have to find some to slap on for tonight. Be back tomorrow to let you know how that long run went or not...

10 Delicious Things I Ate in 2011

Last year I put together my first list of "10 Delicious Things I Ate in 2010" and now I present to you my 2011 list. Again in no particular order, just pure deliciousness all around! It was really hard to narrow down my list to just 10 items this year but after staring at it for a while, the choices were clear.

1) Macarons from Pacific Bakery

2) Poached Eggs and Cauliflower in Brown Butter at Boulettes Larder.

3) Crab Cakes Benedict at Mon Ami Gabi

4) Fish Trio Sampler at Suzanne's Cuisine

5) Zhong made by my mom! :d

6) Self-Served Goi Cuon lunch at my parents'. <3

7) Cupcakes from Susie Cakes in Newport Beach.

8) Jamon Iberico de bellota (hand-cut) from Barbacco in SF.

9) Almond Croissant from Layer Cake Bakery

10) Crab sandwich and Manhattan Style Clam Chowder from Ferry Plaza Seafood.

2011 Running Year in Review

Last year I did a year-in-review race recap after I ran my last race and since I just ran my last race of 2011...here is a look back at 2011!

I had quite a busy race calendar this year but it wasn't by accident. I wanted to see if I could run a bunch of races in a calendar year. Turns out I can. Do I recommend it? Not whole heartedly. It took a lot of time to train, plan and travel. Not to mention the cost. Yeah, let's not mention about that. I was lucky that I had the luxury to commit as much time, energy and money to this little experiment. Running races can be an expensive hobby. Having said that, I don't regret running any of them. I had so much fun and learned a lot about myself as a runner in each one of those races. I surprised myself by PR-ing in three distances this year, the 5K, half marathon and marathon.

I started the year with the Southern California Half. It is held in early January shortly after all the holiday festivities have died down. Naturally I am a slacker over the holidays so I was really under-trained and ill prepared for this race and it showed. Even running with full effort, I clocked this race at 1:50:16.

Then I got sick around mid to late January with a bad fever that made training almost impossible. And so I went into the Surf City Half even less prepared than the first. Clocking in at a "crap-tacular" 2:01:22 but I kept the Surf City running steak alive. Four years in a row!

Then on March 20, 2011 the sky opened up and poured rain as I ran the LA Marathon. Needless to say that didn't go well (4:26:12).

After that race, I was afraid of the rain and cold like never before. Luckily Sister K and I finished up the The Coaster Run 10K before it started to rain! A big thumbs up for that.

Then I drove up to Monterey early May to run one of the most beautiful courses that I've ever ran, the Big Sur Marathon. Ran the modified out and back course in 4:19:14. Going back in 2012 to tackle Hurricane Point! Excited! Okay not really because that part is going to suck but the other parts are nice.

Then on Memorial Day weekend, I revisited a course that I hadn't ran in a couple of years and earned my current half marathon PR time of 1:44:10 at the Laguna Hills Memorial Day Half! It was a great day!

Then I was on a roll and earned my current marathon PR time of 3:50:35 at the Ojai 2 Ocean Marathon. Another great day in my running history book!

Around mid June, I ran my second trail race ever at the Billy Goat Hill Climb Half with a 2,400 ft climb! Definitely one of the harder runs I did this year. Clocked in at 2:16:47.

Then I flew up north to eat...oh and to run the San Francisco Marathon. 4:08:51

Then it was down to San Diego for America's Finest Half, revisiting a course I had not ran since 2008. Nothing spectacular happened there, except that I overslept and almost missed the start of this race. Ran the half in 1:51:25.

Then I ran my first Disney race ever at the Disneyland Half in a fairy costume! 1:51:23

Sometime around September my right knee started to bother me a bit from all the Spinning I was doing coupled with the lack of running. So I hobbled through the Long Beach Marathon in high temps and low running spirits. Clocking in at 4:26:55. That was also the weekend my beautiful niece was born so that made up for all the unpleasantness.

I did a really fun 5K around mid October and earned a new 5K PR of 23:18 at the Chapman 5K in a pretty Sparkle skirt but that was also the day that I almost fell when I accidentally stepped on a rock and twisted my ankle. The ankle is still not the same.

On Halloween weekend, I dressed up as a black cat and ran the RnR Los Angeles Half in 1:45:56.

Last marathon of the year was the Santa Barbara Marathon and I ran a 3:59:36. My second sub-4 marathon ever. I was happy with that as it was not planned. 

Capped off 2011 with the Holiday Half! Clocked in at 1:47:25.

Honestly, I'm tired and am glad that it is done! I am however looking forward to my 2012 race schedule when the fun will start all over again. Run on and on!