Catching the Golden Unicorn

I am really falling behind on my blogging duties lately. But I have a good excuse...I've been busy. That still flies around here right? My thoughts are kind of scattered at the moment and this is just my attempt to catch up a bit.

So this past Sunday morning I awoke to find this email in my inbox. Boston...I finally get to go. Yeah I was pretty happy until I started booking hotel and flights. Then I was unhappy because now I'm missing an arm and a leg. I'm sure come April, I will be happy again. This is going to be my second major marathon...as in the Big Five. I hope to run New York in 2014 and someday hit up Berlin and London.

This is totally random but these are the neat Asics shoes that I won from The Boring Runner's Sweat Your Thorns Off virtual race. I love them because they have just the right amount of pink and that's all that's really important...right?

I've been trying to eat healthy again lately. Sometimes I'm really good about it.

Sometimes, I eat a muffin. A delicious muffin!

And sometimes it just all goes to hell and I eat one of these. Hopefully it all balances out in the end.

I have a ton of things to talk about but I'll save that for another time.

Bring the Insane Pain

Source

This week I started the Insanity Program with a couple of my coworkers. We are only doing it twice a week so we are not following the plan exactly, which is fine by me since my workout schedule is already pretty full.  We may eventually increase the number of days but for now two is good. I did the first fit test a couple of days ago. A series of eight exercises done for one minute each with rest in between.

Today we did our first official workout, the Plyometric Cardio Circuit and I have to admit that it brought the pain. It was a different kind of pain from my track pains or my crossfit pains...which is why I like it already.  Just to be clear, when I say "pain" I am referring mostly to muscle fatigue and not actual pain. Actual pain would be bad. The pain I am talking about is that kind that by the end of the workout, you are pretty much lying on the floor. I made the mistake of running 9.5 miles this morning so that didn't help the situation. I know now not to stack my day like this again.

It's probably going to take us like four months to complete the program but we are okay with that. After all I'm supposed to be training for a marathon. Remember? Yeah me neither.

Speaking of...the Long Beach Half is coming up in two weeks, it will be a good opportunity to see where I am with my training. I've been pretty good about sticking to my training schedule for the most part which is big for me since I am not really a "plan follower". My long run mileages are starting to increase and I'm getting that good old marathon training feeling back again (read: fatigue). For awhile, I didn't know how I was going to get from point A to point B but it's all coming back...sore ankles, calves...you name it, it's probably sore at this moment. I'm excited to get the chance to test out my race legs at the LB Half at the beginning of October and the RnR Half at the end of October. I was thinking of trying to get in another half sometime in November but based on past experience I think that will just be too much.

I'm putting together my costumes for Halloween as well as the RnR Half. I haven't decided on if I will wear one for LB. But here is a hint!

Hello Kitty Cake

Sunday was a baking kind of day. My niece's first birthday is coming up and we wanted to test trial baking a cake of one of her favorite faces.

I'm not going to lie. Piping this cake took a really long time...a really long time but it turned out cute as heck. So if you have a couple of hours it is worth the time. Otherwise, you can frost it and it will be equally tasty.

Tan Kitty :)

So the best part about baking a cake is eating it! Sorry Hello Kitty.

Dog Days of Summer

We've been experiencing some hot days, especially in the SGV. Days so hot that all you feel like doing is seek out the nearest Paleteria. 

Peleteria is the Spanish word for Popsicle shop. These popsicles have real big chunks of fruit in them. They come in both plain and creamy. The selection is wide, varied, exotic and colorful. A refreshing treat on a hot day. La Reyna De Michoacan means the Queen of Michoacan (a state in Mexico). I see the name Michoacan often associated with Paleterias so I am assuming that paletas are popular in that region. I really should look more into that and perhaps I will soon.

Is there a better way to spend a hot summer day?

Okay, maybe you're not in the mood for a popsicle but how about a frozen chocolate covered banana covered with crushed pecans...

...or a Chamango! If you've not tried a Chamango...well you must. I can only describe it as an icy, salty and fruity delight. This particular shop also sold ice cream, elotes (corn with spices), tortas, bionicos, fresh fruit juices, candies and a whole lot of other stuff. A little bit of something for everyone.

There are many places to get paletas in LA and OC. On this particular day we went to a shop in El Monte very close to my old high school. Strangely, I never came here when I was in school but now you can't keep me away.

Paleteria Y Neveria
3560-P Santa Anita Ave
El Monte, CA 91731
626-444-0073

We spent the rest of the afternoon doing some paper-crafting for an upcoming event! More on that later.

That Time I Drank Boba Tea out of a Beer Glass

I took this week off from work to decompress. I wish I could say that I went to an exotic location and sipped on fruity tropical drinks but I didn't. Instead, I used the time to catch up on errands, chores and sleep. Exciting, right? I even took a couple of days off from exercising.

You know what I did do? I drank a ton of boba green tea. Literally.

I also ate a whole lot of shaved fluff ice from various locations.

The Long Beach Half Marathon is exactly one month from today. Where did the time go? I need to start working on my costume ideas for some October races and Halloween!

Finally, due to an upcoming birthday pushing me into a new race age bracket I did some calculations and found out that I did indeed BQ at the Ojai Marathon. So depending on how things go, there is now a slim chance I may get to register for Boston. If it sells out before my turn, I guess I will try again at CIM. I'm still planning to run the heck out of that race but getting into Boston will surely put a pep in my step come December.

Hyundai Hope On Wheels 5K - Race Recap

Date: September 1, 2012
Location: University of California, Irvine
Start: 7:30am 8:00am (delayed)
Finish: 21:23 (course was 0.25 short - Garmin distance 2.88)

This 5K was another one of those races that I had not planned to run but Heather alerted me to a discount code plus it was in the area. It was a small race but the nice breakfast and post race grub almost made me forget that the race started 30 minutes late. For the most part it was organized. It was a little bit difficult to find the race site since they had set up inside UCI. You would probably never know that a race was going on unless you were looking for it. We ran around the UCI campus. When I crossed the finish line I looked up at the clock and saw 21:21 but when I looked at my Garmin I noticed that the course was short by a quarter of a mile. Bummer. It was still fun and I got to see these lovely ladies! Heather and Becka ran the Disneyland Half Marathon this morning. I hope they had lots of fun! But then again how could they not.

After the race, I quickly packed up to head South for the weekend with my family to enjoy some beach time. I'm still there enjoying the sunshine!