That's what I've been saying for the past couple of days, ever since that darned track workout. I know, track is good, track makes you run better, and faster but it's SUPER hard :( Right now it hurts to breath, laugh, sneeze, roll over, get out of a chair, walk down stairs... pretty much everything! Here's what our workout was like on Tuesday night:
10 minute warm up (4 times around the track)
Plyometric (explosive) lunges (this hellish exercise where we get in the lunge position, and then jump up to switch legs, coming back down in lunge position)
Hellish exercise #2 (I don't even remember what it was called, I think I've blocked it, but we laid on our backs with our legs up in the air and tilted them to the right, back up, and then left and up)
Push Ups
Bridges (Look easy but are super hard, especially if you have no core strength like I do. Basically you lay on your stomach, back and sides and then prop yourself up on your elbows for 30-60 seconds-- or 15 seconds if you're me)
Plyometric (explosive) skipping
Run one lap
Regular lunges
Reverse Crunches (lay on your back with your feet in the air and lift up with your legs)
Heel walks and toe walks
Butt kicks and high knees
Pickups
Run one lap then repeat it all again :(
I was so pooped towards the end, and my muscles were so shot, that I actually fell down while doing lunges. And I didn't fall while I was moving, I fell while I was HOLDING the lunge position... my legs just gave out under me. I don't think anyone saw me though, thank god!
After track I felt super nauseous though... I think I was a little dehydrated from not drinking much water that day, and only drinking water, not Gatorade, during the 2 hours of track. :(
Last night I met up with Amy for our weekly run. This week though we had to run a different route since part of the trail is closed off. We ran parallel to the trail on the streets of Danville and it was actually nice... shaded, cute homes to look at and practically no cars. About a mile in, we hooked back into the trail until we turned around a little past where we usually turn around.
The run back took us a little longer since it's the slightly uphill portion. I think we overdid it the first half because we were definitely slower, and took a couple one minute walk breaks, on the way back!
Last night before our run, I had the brilliant idea of taping my foot to prevent more blisters. I put bandaids on the existing ones and then taped around that to keep the bandaids in place. Well, it didn't work so good :( When we got back I took the tape off and saw that my two smallish blisters had turned into two much larger blisters. I think sweat from my feet loosened up the tape and caused it to rub on the skin... nice visual, I know! I went to the store and got some moleskin, but now I have to wait for the blisters to heal before I can use it :(
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Go A's!!
... oh wait, they lost :( Last night I went to the A's vs. Texas game. Karen was going to take a friend for her birthday but that didn't work out so she invited me :D Karen has a hookup so, although she bought tickets for the cheap seats, we got to sit right down front near the Texas bullpen! The game wasn't very crowded so it was really easy to get seats really close... in fact, we were in the second row! The only think I was nervous about was someone hitting a line drive foul ball down the first base line right into my face! There was a guy in front of me who had brought a mit so I was hoping if that happened, he'd catch the ball before it got to me! There were a couple of balls that came in near us but none that were too close. Pheeewww!
Her friend, who is on-field security, scored us some Bazooka bubble gum from the bullpen's stash and also gave me a ball! It was fun watching the bullpen guys horsing around out there... some of them did more playing around than anything else. I guess that's what happens when you may pitch only an inning or so every few games!
Tonight it's off to track... hopefully I won't end up as sore afterwards as I did last week!
Her friend, who is on-field security, scored us some Bazooka bubble gum from the bullpen's stash and also gave me a ball! It was fun watching the bullpen guys horsing around out there... some of them did more playing around than anything else. I guess that's what happens when you may pitch only an inning or so every few games!
Tonight it's off to track... hopefully I won't end up as sore afterwards as I did last week!
Monday, July 16, 2007
I "heart" lumpia
Yum... just writing that title is making my mouth water... more on the lumpia later...
Wow, this was a busy weekend! I can't believe that it's over already! Friday night I rented a movie and just took it easy in preparation for the 8 miler Saturday morning. I watched Catch and Release, a cute movie if a little cheesy :D
Saturday morning I headed over to the Berkeley Marina to do the Mentor Led Run with the Bayside team, led by Phil, Matt, and Lindsay. The weather in Berkeley was PERFECT for running-- overcast and chilly! It was so cold at the start I kept my sweatshirt on for the first mile or so of the run. I started out running with Matt, which means I was going a little faster than I should have. After the first mile, he took off ahead of me and I ran with another woman for awhile. I was feeling really good but when I got to the hill behind Golden Gate Fields, I decided to walk it so I didn't wear myself out-- after all, I still had to make it BACK to the marina! By that time Phil had caught up to me so we ran together the rest of the way.
After we turned around at mile 4, I was expecting to run into Claudia. At the base of the Golden Gate Fields hill we ran into Brandy, who had been running with Claudia earlier. She said that Claudia had tripped and fell around mile 1.5. :( That part of the course is particularly uneven and I'm surprised no one has taken a spill there earlier! Further down the road we see Claudia and Rocky pulling up... Claudia's knee is all scratched up and her ankle was starting to swell :( After chatting for a few minutes, Phil and I took off again to finish the rest of the run.
We finished in 1:36:03. All in all, I felt really good, other than my calves getting a little stiff towards the end. I think they were still shot from the track workout on Tues. and super speedy run with Amy on Wed. Today they feel fine though so I think they're pretty much recovered. I also got a couple blisters on the instep of my left foot. It seems like everytime I get new shoes I get blisters there for a few runs. Then the shoe is broken in and the problem is gone. I think I'll use some moleskin during our next few runs, just until the shoes are broken in.
After the run, just as the sun was starting to come out, I headed back home to get ready for a former co-worker's baby shower. It was really nice to see her, and fun to see all the fun baby stuff she got! AND we got yummy ladybug cupcakes as a favor!
Sunday I went over to Rocky's Uncle's house for the Reyes family reunion :D Yummm, lumpia :D If you've never had lumpia, you haven't truly lived. It's a little like an egg roll, but much smaller and yummier... and when it's dipped in that sweet sauce, it's pure heaven! They had tons of other food... ribs, chicken, Betsy's sister, beef, hot dogs, pasta salad, rice (of course), cake, It's It, otter pops and lot's more! It was an afternoon filled with yummy food, sun, laughing kids, barking dogs and Rocky's fun relatives :D His family is so big, I spent half the time trying to figure out who was related to whom, and how! I even got to see my little muffin... he was such a baby, wanting to sit on everyone's lap. I wonder how he got so spoiled?! :D
Wow, this was a busy weekend! I can't believe that it's over already! Friday night I rented a movie and just took it easy in preparation for the 8 miler Saturday morning. I watched Catch and Release, a cute movie if a little cheesy :D
Saturday morning I headed over to the Berkeley Marina to do the Mentor Led Run with the Bayside team, led by Phil, Matt, and Lindsay. The weather in Berkeley was PERFECT for running-- overcast and chilly! It was so cold at the start I kept my sweatshirt on for the first mile or so of the run. I started out running with Matt, which means I was going a little faster than I should have. After the first mile, he took off ahead of me and I ran with another woman for awhile. I was feeling really good but when I got to the hill behind Golden Gate Fields, I decided to walk it so I didn't wear myself out-- after all, I still had to make it BACK to the marina! By that time Phil had caught up to me so we ran together the rest of the way.
After we turned around at mile 4, I was expecting to run into Claudia. At the base of the Golden Gate Fields hill we ran into Brandy, who had been running with Claudia earlier. She said that Claudia had tripped and fell around mile 1.5. :( That part of the course is particularly uneven and I'm surprised no one has taken a spill there earlier! Further down the road we see Claudia and Rocky pulling up... Claudia's knee is all scratched up and her ankle was starting to swell :( After chatting for a few minutes, Phil and I took off again to finish the rest of the run.
We finished in 1:36:03. All in all, I felt really good, other than my calves getting a little stiff towards the end. I think they were still shot from the track workout on Tues. and super speedy run with Amy on Wed. Today they feel fine though so I think they're pretty much recovered. I also got a couple blisters on the instep of my left foot. It seems like everytime I get new shoes I get blisters there for a few runs. Then the shoe is broken in and the problem is gone. I think I'll use some moleskin during our next few runs, just until the shoes are broken in.
After the run, just as the sun was starting to come out, I headed back home to get ready for a former co-worker's baby shower. It was really nice to see her, and fun to see all the fun baby stuff she got! AND we got yummy ladybug cupcakes as a favor!
Sunday I went over to Rocky's Uncle's house for the Reyes family reunion :D Yummm, lumpia :D If you've never had lumpia, you haven't truly lived. It's a little like an egg roll, but much smaller and yummier... and when it's dipped in that sweet sauce, it's pure heaven! They had tons of other food... ribs, chicken, Betsy's sister, beef, hot dogs, pasta salad, rice (of course), cake, It's It, otter pops and lot's more! It was an afternoon filled with yummy food, sun, laughing kids, barking dogs and Rocky's fun relatives :D His family is so big, I spent half the time trying to figure out who was related to whom, and how! I even got to see my little muffin... he was such a baby, wanting to sit on everyone's lap. I wonder how he got so spoiled?! :D
Friday, July 13, 2007
Happy Friday the 13th!
This about sums it up for me...
Tonight it's about rest and relaxation because tomorrow is our 8 miler! I know it's not much when you think about the big picture-- after all, we're training for 26.2 miles. This feels like it's our first actual LONG run... anything that's 6 and under doesn't really seem that far!
Tonight it's about rest and relaxation because tomorrow is our 8 miler! I know it's not much when you think about the big picture-- after all, we're training for 26.2 miles. This feels like it's our first actual LONG run... anything that's 6 and under doesn't really seem that far!
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Stare Down...
My coworker brought in a box of Krispy Kreme doughnuts this morning... they are now sitting on a table that is right outside my desk area. For the past 2.75 hours (yes, I'm counting) I have been trying to ignore their call.... come, eat me Olivia, I am SOOO tasty! SHUT UP!! So far I've won the stare down, but I don't know how much longer I can hold out :(
So last night I met up with Amy for our "buddy run." We were sans Claudia this week since she was on her way back from a wedding in Tahoe. Amy was unsuccessfully trying to find a satellite signal for her Garmin watch and after a few minutes we just gave up and headed on out. As cool as the watch is (I LUV mine) sometimes getting a satellite connection can take a little time. I've learned to turn my watch on when I leave my house instead of waiting until I'm ready to start running. Sure, I look funny driving down the road with my arm out of the window but by the time I get to the run, my watch is ready to go.
The whole way out, Amy's watch kept beeping, letting us know that YET AGAIN it had lost the satellite signal. Stupid watch. When we get to our usual turn around point and my watch says we've only gone .86 miles, I know some of that beeping must have been my watch too. Our turn around point is actually about 1.3 miles out so my watch probably dropped the signal at some point too. The other crazy thing was that my watch said we'd been running slightly under 12 minutes!! Umm, are we SURE we turned around at the right spot? At first Amy thought we hadn't, that we should have gone one more section of the trail. But then she checked her mileage chart that gives the distances for each street we reach and yep, we turned around at the right spot. I guess that "explosive" skipping really did help! No wonder we were too out of breath to do any talking!
The way back took us a tad longer, mostly because we stopped to walk a little while we figured out if we had turned around at the right spot. 27 minutes later we were done. Yep, that's right, 27 minutes for 2.7 miles... SUPER fast for us! And boy I felt it... I was out of breath and my muscles were starting to tighten up. Today, I can hardly walk... track on Tuesday and our super fast run last night did a number on my calves! Hopefully everything will stop hurting before the 8 miler this Saturday. I'm a little nervous about that distance-- it seems so much further than 6 miles!
So last night I met up with Amy for our "buddy run." We were sans Claudia this week since she was on her way back from a wedding in Tahoe. Amy was unsuccessfully trying to find a satellite signal for her Garmin watch and after a few minutes we just gave up and headed on out. As cool as the watch is (I LUV mine) sometimes getting a satellite connection can take a little time. I've learned to turn my watch on when I leave my house instead of waiting until I'm ready to start running. Sure, I look funny driving down the road with my arm out of the window but by the time I get to the run, my watch is ready to go.
The whole way out, Amy's watch kept beeping, letting us know that YET AGAIN it had lost the satellite signal. Stupid watch. When we get to our usual turn around point and my watch says we've only gone .86 miles, I know some of that beeping must have been my watch too. Our turn around point is actually about 1.3 miles out so my watch probably dropped the signal at some point too. The other crazy thing was that my watch said we'd been running slightly under 12 minutes!! Umm, are we SURE we turned around at the right spot? At first Amy thought we hadn't, that we should have gone one more section of the trail. But then she checked her mileage chart that gives the distances for each street we reach and yep, we turned around at the right spot. I guess that "explosive" skipping really did help! No wonder we were too out of breath to do any talking!
The way back took us a tad longer, mostly because we stopped to walk a little while we figured out if we had turned around at the right spot. 27 minutes later we were done. Yep, that's right, 27 minutes for 2.7 miles... SUPER fast for us! And boy I felt it... I was out of breath and my muscles were starting to tighten up. Today, I can hardly walk... track on Tuesday and our super fast run last night did a number on my calves! Hopefully everything will stop hurting before the 8 miler this Saturday. I'm a little nervous about that distance-- it seems so much further than 6 miles!
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Are those sweat droplets?
Nope... RAIN! Last night I headed out to the Diablo Valley team's track workout at DVC. The skies were grey and the weather was cool... but hey, I wasn't complaining! Partway through our workout, it started to drizzle.
Right now the team is doing circuit training and plyometric drills-- basically lots of different exercises broken up with laps around the track. It was nice to be on an actual track... the last track workouts I did with the team were at a park in Concord. It wasn't really a track, more of a gravely path around the park.
Here's Coach Tim's description of what we were going to be doing:
Here is Coach Tim demonstrating the Plyometric, or "explosive", skipping:
Squats 15
Crunches 30
Lunges (each leg) 10
Push Ups (Girly version) 12
Plyometric Skipping 50 yards, 2x
Run 1 Lap Easy Pace on Corners, Tempo Pace on Straights
Isometric Squat (Hold 40sec to 2min), 2x
Superman Back Extensions 15
Heel Walk/Toe Walk 50 yards each, 2x
High Knees/Butt Kicks run 50 yards each, 2x
Strides 50 yards, 4x (This means you basically run and speed up for the first 25 yards, then slow down for the remaining 25 yards)
Run as before
Then we repeat it all, and this time I upped the reps for most:
Squats 25
Crunches 30
Lunges (each leg) 15
Push Ups (girly) 12
Plyometric Skipping 50 yards each, 2x
Run 1 Lap Easy Pace on Corners, Tempo Pace on Straights
Isometric Squat (Hold 1 min), 2x
Superman Back Extensions 15
Heel Walk/Toe Walk 50 yards each, 2x
High Knees/Butt Kicks run 50 yards each, 2x
Strides 50 yards, 6x
Run as before
Man... I'm pooped! Track started at 6:30, I didn't get home until 8:45. :( Just enough time to grab a quick bite, jump in the shower and ice a little bit before bed. Good news is that neither my hip or knee bothered me during the workout... they were a little sore afterwards but I didn't have a problem during track!
Right now the team is doing circuit training and plyometric drills-- basically lots of different exercises broken up with laps around the track. It was nice to be on an actual track... the last track workouts I did with the team were at a park in Concord. It wasn't really a track, more of a gravely path around the park.
Here's Coach Tim's description of what we were going to be doing:
"Plyometric drills are the secret to running strong and faster. The drills may look like child's play with lots of hopping, skipping and jumping, but these simple drills simulate explosive actions to help you become a stronger and faster runner. Plyometric training will put more spring in every step you take, which is the key to better running. At Tuesday evening's track workout, you'll be introduced to plyometrics with skipping, slightly increased ranges and some tempo paced running."
Here is Coach Tim demonstrating the Plyometric, or "explosive", skipping:
And here's a breakdown of what I did:
Squats 15
Crunches 30
Lunges (each leg) 10
Push Ups (Girly version) 12
Plyometric Skipping 50 yards, 2x
Run 1 Lap Easy Pace on Corners, Tempo Pace on Straights
Isometric Squat (Hold 40sec to 2min), 2x
Superman Back Extensions 15
Heel Walk/Toe Walk 50 yards each, 2x
High Knees/Butt Kicks run 50 yards each, 2x
Strides 50 yards, 4x (This means you basically run and speed up for the first 25 yards, then slow down for the remaining 25 yards)
Run as before
Then we repeat it all, and this time I upped the reps for most:
Squats 25
Crunches 30
Lunges (each leg) 15
Push Ups (girly) 12
Plyometric Skipping 50 yards each, 2x
Run 1 Lap Easy Pace on Corners, Tempo Pace on Straights
Isometric Squat (Hold 1 min), 2x
Superman Back Extensions 15
Heel Walk/Toe Walk 50 yards each, 2x
High Knees/Butt Kicks run 50 yards each, 2x
Strides 50 yards, 6x
Run as before
Man... I'm pooped! Track started at 6:30, I didn't get home until 8:45. :( Just enough time to grab a quick bite, jump in the shower and ice a little bit before bed. Good news is that neither my hip or knee bothered me during the workout... they were a little sore afterwards but I didn't have a problem during track!
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Lots of fun, but little running :(
Wow, I have lots to catch you all up on since I haven't blogged since last week! I've been a bad, bad girl and have not been running much in the past week... there's been too much going on and it's been way too hot :(
So last Tuesday I mentioned I was going to go home and do my exercise DVD... that didn't happen. Neither did getting up early on the 4th to go running. Claudia texted me that morning saying that she had gotten home really late the night before and did I mind running on my own instead of meeting at Lake Merritt! Not at all, I said, right before I rolled over and went back to bed, knowing I wasn't going to get up and run on my own! After I finally rolled out of bed, I headed over to Claudia's around noon to hang out for the rest of the day. We worked on some party favors, watched a little tennis and then at 2:00 headed over to the pool with Phil. Karen, Lindsay and Christina joined us there and we hung out at the pool the rest of the afternoon, drinking some yummy sangria and snacking on goodies! Around 5:00 we headed back to C&R's condo for BBQ and a movie :D
Thursday it was back to work :( No running that night either since I needed to finish up the scrapbook stuff I was bringing to the reception on Saturday. I got it all finished up so Friday night I just hung out... I went to get my toes done and then was treated to a wonderful massage from Christina! Ahhhh, so relaxing!
Saturday AM I got up really early to run, anticipating a hot day. I got dressed, headed out of my apartment to run on the trail and was met with cloudy skies and chilly weather... YEA!!! I ran 6.02 miles in 1:11 hours. I felt way better on the way back than I did starting out, thanks to the slight decline :D I did something funky to my hip and knee though and they've been bothering me since then. I ran in my new shoes so I'm hoping that it doesn't have anything to do with that :( Tonight I'm off to track with the Diablo Valley team so we'll see how things go...
Now on to the fun stuff :D Saturday after my run I got everything ready for Claudia and Rocky's wedding reception/party later that day. My parents were coming in the afternoon so I wanted to get everything all laid out and ready to go so I could hang out with them. Once they got there, we had a wonderful lunch at Chow in Lafayette and then did a little shopping. At 3:45 it was off to the community center at Civic Park to help set up and then the party started at 6:00.
It was such a fun party! All our TNT peeps were there with a bunch of other friends, co-workers, and family. Everyone looked so great in their Hawaiian clothes, the food was yummy, the wedding cupcakes were delicious, the hula dancers put on a great show and of course East Bay Mudd rocked the house! There is no way I could describe the whole evening so here are some pictures:
Sunday I met my parents for breakfast and they we spent the rest of the day shopping in Berkeley and Walnut Creek. We even went to the Apple store in WC to check out the new iPhone. I have to admit that I was really iffy about a phone that costs $500 but those things really are cool, especially the internet capabilities. But as cool and fun as they are to play with, I don't think I'll be shelling out that much money any time soon for what's just a fancy phone!
Now that the party is over, I'll be focusing more again on my training! At least our heat wave seems to be over so the weather is much nicer!
Tuesday, July 03, 2007
Holy heat wave Batman!
Um yeah, it's super hot outside. It's supposed to be in the 100's over the next couple of days. Thank god for air conditioning! And it's even worse in Yuba City... Weather.com says that it's going to be 107 degrees tomorrow!!! Isn't that about how hot it is in hell? So glad I'm not there right now!
Yesterday I was a busy little bee: I met Jeanette for lunch in Walnut Creek. She just got a new job with the company that Amy works for. This week she's only working part time and she needed me to taste the carrot cake cupcakes she's making for Claudia and Rocky's wedding reception this weekend so we decided to meet up for lunch! That cupcake tasting is a tough job... but I know someone has to suck it up (in this case suck up a bunch of cream cheese frosting!) :D
After work I went to Danville to get some new running shoes and run another errand. I also met Claudia there since I had given her back the ribbon I was using to put together some of the favors for the party. I had finished one batch, given the finished ones to Claudia and then picked up another batch, forgetting that I still needed the ribbon. Duh... such a blond moment. By the time I got home, I was not in the mood to do my workout video so instead I highlighted my hair and worked on the other crafty wedding party project! So productive!
Today I was supposed to meet up with Jeanette and go to the Diablo Valley "it's going to kick my ass" track workout. BUT I checked the website and track is canceled for tonight... yea!!! It's super warm out today so I'm going to just go home and do my workout video.
Tomorrow I'm getting up early to run with Claudia at Lake Merritt. What good girls we are running on the holiday! For the rest of the day we'll be plopped by Claudia's pool with some yummy Sangria and snacks. The rest of the gang will be joining up with us for a BBQ at their place later! It'll be such a nice relaxing 4th of July!
Everyone have a fun and safe 4th of July!!!
Monday, July 02, 2007
Welcome July!
I can't believe it's already the beginning of July... it seems like not too long ago we were saying goodbye to winter. It feels like the older you get, the faster time passes. Summers seemed endless when we were little and now they pass way too quickly!
Friday night Claudia, Rocky, Karen and I went to see the Giants play the Diamond Backs. We had a free parking pass so we decided to drive in instead of BART. BART can be convenient but on game days there are just TOO MANY PEOPLE to deal with! We figured that it wouldn't be easier to just drive in since we wouldn't have to pay to park... and it should have been easier but we had the bad luck to run smack into Critical Mass, a literal mass of cyclists who "reclaim the roads." Of course this happens when I have to go potty too :(
The game was fun... I don't really remember much of it since I had my eye out for the cotton candy man the whole time. Since I was little, attending a professional sporting events was less about the sport for me, and mostly about the people watching and cotton candy, and not necessarily in that order. :D By the end of the night I was on a sugar and salt high (salt from the sunflower seeds, another baseball game must) and my mouth was a pretty blue color. Cotton candy has really come a long way since back in the day... they have all these fancy flavors and colors. I got the 4 in one bag... purple grape, yellow lemon, blue berry and pink something sweet (we couldn't really figure out the flavor on that one).
Saturday I had decided to run on my own instead of going to Livermore with the DV team or Oyster Bay in San Leandro with the Bay side team. I headed to Alamo with the intention of running on the Iron Horse Trail out towards Walnut Creek for a mile and a half and back, and then out towards Danville for the same distance, making 6 miles total. I went out to the Rudgear staging area, since I figured that was about 1.5 miles... it was actually 2.3 miles. I felt really great on the way out (helped mostly by the slight decline)-- at one point I looked at my watch and it said I was doing a 9.49 minute per mile pace. Yeah, WAY too fast. There were a ton of people out on the trail, including my boss' wife Nancy who is training for the Breast Cancer Walk (crazy lady... even I wouldn't attempt that!!).
I definitely took a lot longer to get back to where I started once I turned around. I could feel the slight incline and at one point my hips really started to hurt. By the time I got back to where I started (54 minutes and 4.6 miles later) I wasn't feeling great and didn't think that trying to go out for that last 1.4 miles was a good idea. I was disappointed in myself but I figured that a run cut short was better than getting injured. I'm hoping that it's just a case of shoes with too many miles on them... I've worn these shoes for the past 4 races. Whoops, time to get some new ones!
Later that night, after a nice nap, I met up with Karen and Claudia in Oakland. Rocky's band MotherHumbuckers had a gig that night in the city so us girls met for dinner in Oakland before hand. The band did a really fantastic job, as they usually do, but unfortunately they didn't make it into the next round of Emergenza, a kind of international battle of the bands that they've been competing in. :( After they played we stuck around to get our free CD, sticker and poster and then headed home :D
Sunday I got to sleep in... ahhhh :D The rest of the day was spent cleaning, doing laundry, running errands and working on a special craft project. Man, it was a busy weekend... and it looks like the craziness isn't going stop until after next weekend! Maybe THAT'S why the time passes so quickly... too many fun things on the calender!
Friday night Claudia, Rocky, Karen and I went to see the Giants play the Diamond Backs. We had a free parking pass so we decided to drive in instead of BART. BART can be convenient but on game days there are just TOO MANY PEOPLE to deal with! We figured that it wouldn't be easier to just drive in since we wouldn't have to pay to park... and it should have been easier but we had the bad luck to run smack into Critical Mass, a literal mass of cyclists who "reclaim the roads." Of course this happens when I have to go potty too :(
The game was fun... I don't really remember much of it since I had my eye out for the cotton candy man the whole time. Since I was little, attending a professional sporting events was less about the sport for me, and mostly about the people watching and cotton candy, and not necessarily in that order. :D By the end of the night I was on a sugar and salt high (salt from the sunflower seeds, another baseball game must) and my mouth was a pretty blue color. Cotton candy has really come a long way since back in the day... they have all these fancy flavors and colors. I got the 4 in one bag... purple grape, yellow lemon, blue berry and pink something sweet (we couldn't really figure out the flavor on that one).
Saturday I had decided to run on my own instead of going to Livermore with the DV team or Oyster Bay in San Leandro with the Bay side team. I headed to Alamo with the intention of running on the Iron Horse Trail out towards Walnut Creek for a mile and a half and back, and then out towards Danville for the same distance, making 6 miles total. I went out to the Rudgear staging area, since I figured that was about 1.5 miles... it was actually 2.3 miles. I felt really great on the way out (helped mostly by the slight decline)-- at one point I looked at my watch and it said I was doing a 9.49 minute per mile pace. Yeah, WAY too fast. There were a ton of people out on the trail, including my boss' wife Nancy who is training for the Breast Cancer Walk (crazy lady... even I wouldn't attempt that!!).
I definitely took a lot longer to get back to where I started once I turned around. I could feel the slight incline and at one point my hips really started to hurt. By the time I got back to where I started (54 minutes and 4.6 miles later) I wasn't feeling great and didn't think that trying to go out for that last 1.4 miles was a good idea. I was disappointed in myself but I figured that a run cut short was better than getting injured. I'm hoping that it's just a case of shoes with too many miles on them... I've worn these shoes for the past 4 races. Whoops, time to get some new ones!
Later that night, after a nice nap, I met up with Karen and Claudia in Oakland. Rocky's band MotherHumbuckers had a gig that night in the city so us girls met for dinner in Oakland before hand. The band did a really fantastic job, as they usually do, but unfortunately they didn't make it into the next round of Emergenza, a kind of international battle of the bands that they've been competing in. :( After they played we stuck around to get our free CD, sticker and poster and then headed home :D
Sunday I got to sleep in... ahhhh :D The rest of the day was spent cleaning, doing laundry, running errands and working on a special craft project. Man, it was a busy weekend... and it looks like the craziness isn't going stop until after next weekend! Maybe THAT'S why the time passes so quickly... too many fun things on the calender!
Friday, June 29, 2007
Slacker week
Last night was supposed to be another running evening with Amy but I had to bail on her :( My stomach was feeling crappy all day and around 4:00 I knew that the last thing I wanted to do was go running in the heat. So I called Amy and apologized for canceling. She told me she'd probably just run on her treadmill, I told her I might do the exercise DVD from hell if I felt better... we both did nothing :D So of the 3 days that I should have run this week, I just did one day... whoops :)
I went home, caught up on the Tivo'd episodes of Dawson's Creek that I'd missed this week, cooked up some yummy pasta and then settled back into the couch to watch Wed.'s and last night's episodes of So You Think You Can Dance. Ahhh, nice and relaxing!
A few weeks ago I went home for Father's Day (I'm such a good daughter) and took some pics of my parent's doggies. Chloe, a papillon, is a the "older sister" of the pair and Max, a chihuahua and terrier mix, is the pesky "little brother." It's so much fun to watch them interact with eachother :D I'll leave you with a few "Cute Doggie" pictures to tide you through the weekend!
Max
Max and Chloe
Chloe, with her hair all shaved off :(
Max, as a pup, and Chloe, with all her long hair, back in November
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Art is pain...
... or at least it is when that art is a tattoo! Yesterday after work I went straight to the Diving Swallow tattoo parlor in Oakland to provide some emotional and hand holding support for Claudia :D She was getting an older tattoo that hasn't aged very well covered up with some pretty plumerias. When I got there, the tattoo artist Leslie had already applied the stencil and it was time for the actual tattooing to begin.
OUCHIE! After 2 hours of tattooing I was sweaty and my hands were numb from Claudia clenching them so tightly. But I'm sure it was nothing compared to what Claudia's back felt like! Just looking at her face you could tell how painful it was, mostly because of the location... right over the spine :( Rocky got there a little later (with some desperately needed sodas) and took over as hand holder while I watched Leslie work her magic. It's really amazing what people can create with a vibrating needle, some ink and a canvas of skin!
Finally at about 8:00 Claudia couldn't handle anymore... the rest of the tattoo will be finished during another appointment. I don't know how she made it as long as she did! All that sweating and hand clenching helped us work up an appetite so we went for some yummy Vietnamese food before heading home!
Tonight I'm running with Amy today... I'm seriously pooped from all the recent social activities, and I know Amy had a busy evening of visiting, eating and drinking last night, so I'm sure we'll be more turtle like than hare like at our run tonight!
OUCHIE! After 2 hours of tattooing I was sweaty and my hands were numb from Claudia clenching them so tightly. But I'm sure it was nothing compared to what Claudia's back felt like! Just looking at her face you could tell how painful it was, mostly because of the location... right over the spine :( Rocky got there a little later (with some desperately needed sodas) and took over as hand holder while I watched Leslie work her magic. It's really amazing what people can create with a vibrating needle, some ink and a canvas of skin!
Finally at about 8:00 Claudia couldn't handle anymore... the rest of the tattoo will be finished during another appointment. I don't know how she made it as long as she did! All that sweating and hand clenching helped us work up an appetite so we went for some yummy Vietnamese food before heading home!
Tonight I'm running with Amy today... I'm seriously pooped from all the recent social activities, and I know Amy had a busy evening of visiting, eating and drinking last night, so I'm sure we'll be more turtle like than hare like at our run tonight!
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Wrinkly knees
Last night I went for a run with Amy-- we switched our running days this week. I was going to be busy tonight, our usual running night, and Amy's usual weekly running partner was going to be gone so we decided that we'd just meet on Tues. and Thurs. instead of Wed.! Works perfectly for both of us!
We met up at our usual place at the usual time. We decided to run Amy's short, short route instead of the trail so we don't get too sick of running the same route everyone time. The short, short route took us through the streets of Danville and by some very cute homes. After a couple of miles we hooked into the Iron Horse Trail and headed back to the Lunardi's parking lot. It was really nice to take a different route but it was harder on the legs running on the street since the road isn't perfectly flat right next to the curb. I also don't think that the bottle of wine I had the night before helped at all. :( I definitely felt a little sluggish.
After we got back, 3.15 miles and 36 minutes later, we walked around a little to cool down. I looked down at my red, blotchy legs and noticed that my knees were totally wrinkly! Okay, I don't like my knees; they're a little on the chubby side. But last night they looked like the skin on a Shar-pei. Gross, gross, gross. Of course I couldn't stop obsessing about them. :( Amy thought that maybe it was because I was dehydrated from all the wine-- she suggested I drink some more fluids and apply my Hello Kitty ice pack to my poor wrinkled knees. :( So that's exactly what I did and I'm happy to report that my knees are back to their chubby normalness!
As I mentioned, tonight I will not be running. I'm taking the night off :D I will be holding Claudia's hand as someone pokes her in the back with an ink filled needle :D I'm going to go with her to Diving Swallow tattoo parlor as moral support while she gets her tattoo redone. I'm so excited to see the process and to see what the final result is... I'm sure it'll be gorgeous!!
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Insert clever title here
A blog title should be clever... this one short phrase should entice the reader and set the tone for your post. Mine don't do that... they are so unclever and boring and I spend way too much time thinking about them. :( Sometimes I will avoid writing my blog because I can't think of a good title. Yes, I know, I have serious issues. There are way more important things to spend my time thinking about than blog titles, like who will be kicked off this week's So You Think You Can Dance. Can someone please invent a clever blog title generator for me?
So anyway, last night I did absolutely no exercising. :( My coworker Ann is getting ready to sell her house and has been having some work done on it over the past couple of weeks. She just had her floors redone and was informed that she couldn't go home until about 8:00PM. I told her that she and her son Sean could come over and hang out at my place after I got off work to kill some time. She brought some yummy CPK pizza and salad, I opened a bottle of wine (and then another, and then one more) and we had a grand old time visiting until about 10:30!
Her son is such a little cutie... when she first got there he was totally conked out in his stroller. Then he woke up, got out of the stroller, laid down on the carpet and went right back to sleep! We were chatting and laughing and none of it woke him up. Once he did wake up he just walked around the apartment checking out everything, babbling on and on and completely entertaining us with his little 80's dance moves. :D
So anyway, last night I did absolutely no exercising. :( My coworker Ann is getting ready to sell her house and has been having some work done on it over the past couple of weeks. She just had her floors redone and was informed that she couldn't go home until about 8:00PM. I told her that she and her son Sean could come over and hang out at my place after I got off work to kill some time. She brought some yummy CPK pizza and salad, I opened a bottle of wine (and then another, and then one more) and we had a grand old time visiting until about 10:30!
Her son is such a little cutie... when she first got there he was totally conked out in his stroller. Then he woke up, got out of the stroller, laid down on the carpet and went right back to sleep! We were chatting and laughing and none of it woke him up. Once he did wake up he just walked around the apartment checking out everything, babbling on and on and completely entertaining us with his little 80's dance moves. :D
Monday, June 25, 2007
Busy, busy weekend
Wow, this was a super busy weekend, which means lots to blog about :D
Friday seems so long ago I can hardly remember what I did. I think I ran a couple of errands after work and then went home to plop myself on the couch and catch up on shows I've Tivoed and hadn't had time to watch yet.
Saturday I got up early and headed out to Oakland for the Bay Side Coached Run (NOT the Diablo Valley side run as I stated in my blog on Friday-- I'm still having issues keeping the two teams straight). We met at a new location near the Oakland airport. It was a pretty nice trail but NO SHADE! I had deja vu from a training run we did last summer in Antioch!
Side note: For those of you who don't live here, the Bay Area can be a funny place in terms of weather (well, it's a funny place in other ways too but let's just stick with the weather :D) The east East Bay where I live (east side of the Caldecott Tunnel) is always warmer during the summer than the west side of the East Bay (which is usually warmer than SF and the peninsula). Rule of thumb: the further east you go, the warmer it is. Many times when I've driven west on 24 Walnut Creek/Lafayette/Orinda is sunny and hot, but the minute you come out of the tunnel in Berkeley and Oakland it is chilly, overcast and windy! Because of this local weather phenomenon, I was glad that our run was in Oakland on Saturday-- I was hoping for that overcast, chilly weather. Of course this weekend, the weather on the other side of the tunnel was gorgeous but too warm for comfortable running... GRRRR.
I had initially wanted to do 6 miles, 2 before the team started and then 4 with the team. But because of a little mix up with the location, I get there right on time and decided to just do 4 with everyone else. I started out with Phil, Claudia and Jeanette... after a little chit chatting Jeanette and Claudia forged ahead and Phil and I stuck together. After the infamous Ditching Incident at Nike, Phil vowed never to ditch me again. True to his word, he stuck with me the whole time, even when I pooped out and had to walk for a minute a couple of times! Our final time for 4.06 miles was about 47 minutes (I already uploaded my info from my watch onto the computer so I don't remember the exact time-- I'll update the real time from home).
After the run I went home to relax for a little bit before Claudia and I went out to do a little shopping. We had a very productive shopping trip but we were good girls... we only bought the items we went shopping for! We also treated ourselves to some yummy gelato afterwards :D
Later that night a group of us met up at Pizzaiolo in Oakland for our friend Petra's birthday. The food there was SO yummy but my hungry tummy did not like the long waits between courses! I ate my fill of salad, bread, meatballs, prosciutto and fig, polenta, pizza and a couple yummy desserts! Okay, that sounds like a TON of food but I had very small portions of each since 10 of us were sharing! By the time we left it was very late but my belly was happily full of all the yummy food. It was a wonderful night hanging out with some old friends and meeting a few new ones!
Sunday I relaxed all morning... Claudia hosted at Stitch 'n Bitch at her new place later in the afternoon so I had plenty of time to sleep in, watch some TV and read. :D Lindsay and I carpooled over to Claudia and Rocky's and soon after we walked in the door we were served a VERY yummy pomegranate martini! Since I don't do well with Vodka, Claudia had made these martinis with white tequila.... YUMMM! Rocky BBQ'd us up some Maui style short ribs, chicken and corn, and Claudia made rice and a really good macaroni salad. The Mac salad was a Weight Watchers recipe so it was even good for us, or at least not BAD for us! Usually I'm iffy about diet recipes but it was so good I never would have guessed if she didn't tell us! Jeanette also made us some macerated berries (we had a lot of fun with that word) which were poured over angel food cake... okay, now I've made myself hungry!
We spent a wonderful evening eating, chatting, knitting and drinking! We got to break in (but no literally breaking occured, thank god) some of the beautiful dishware and stemware they've gotten recently as wedding gifts! Poor Rocky and Patch were the only males there... hopefully we didn't scare Rocky with all of our girly chit chat! THANK YOU Claudia and Rocky for being wonderful hosts!
Friday seems so long ago I can hardly remember what I did. I think I ran a couple of errands after work and then went home to plop myself on the couch and catch up on shows I've Tivoed and hadn't had time to watch yet.
Saturday I got up early and headed out to Oakland for the Bay Side Coached Run (NOT the Diablo Valley side run as I stated in my blog on Friday-- I'm still having issues keeping the two teams straight). We met at a new location near the Oakland airport. It was a pretty nice trail but NO SHADE! I had deja vu from a training run we did last summer in Antioch!
Side note: For those of you who don't live here, the Bay Area can be a funny place in terms of weather (well, it's a funny place in other ways too but let's just stick with the weather :D) The east East Bay where I live (east side of the Caldecott Tunnel) is always warmer during the summer than the west side of the East Bay (which is usually warmer than SF and the peninsula). Rule of thumb: the further east you go, the warmer it is. Many times when I've driven west on 24 Walnut Creek/Lafayette/Orinda is sunny and hot, but the minute you come out of the tunnel in Berkeley and Oakland it is chilly, overcast and windy! Because of this local weather phenomenon, I was glad that our run was in Oakland on Saturday-- I was hoping for that overcast, chilly weather. Of course this weekend, the weather on the other side of the tunnel was gorgeous but too warm for comfortable running... GRRRR.
I had initially wanted to do 6 miles, 2 before the team started and then 4 with the team. But because of a little mix up with the location, I get there right on time and decided to just do 4 with everyone else. I started out with Phil, Claudia and Jeanette... after a little chit chatting Jeanette and Claudia forged ahead and Phil and I stuck together. After the infamous Ditching Incident at Nike, Phil vowed never to ditch me again. True to his word, he stuck with me the whole time, even when I pooped out and had to walk for a minute a couple of times! Our final time for 4.06 miles was about 47 minutes (I already uploaded my info from my watch onto the computer so I don't remember the exact time-- I'll update the real time from home).
After the run I went home to relax for a little bit before Claudia and I went out to do a little shopping. We had a very productive shopping trip but we were good girls... we only bought the items we went shopping for! We also treated ourselves to some yummy gelato afterwards :D
Later that night a group of us met up at Pizzaiolo in Oakland for our friend Petra's birthday. The food there was SO yummy but my hungry tummy did not like the long waits between courses! I ate my fill of salad, bread, meatballs, prosciutto and fig, polenta, pizza and a couple yummy desserts! Okay, that sounds like a TON of food but I had very small portions of each since 10 of us were sharing! By the time we left it was very late but my belly was happily full of all the yummy food. It was a wonderful night hanging out with some old friends and meeting a few new ones!
Sunday I relaxed all morning... Claudia hosted at Stitch 'n Bitch at her new place later in the afternoon so I had plenty of time to sleep in, watch some TV and read. :D Lindsay and I carpooled over to Claudia and Rocky's and soon after we walked in the door we were served a VERY yummy pomegranate martini! Since I don't do well with Vodka, Claudia had made these martinis with white tequila.... YUMMM! Rocky BBQ'd us up some Maui style short ribs, chicken and corn, and Claudia made rice and a really good macaroni salad. The Mac salad was a Weight Watchers recipe so it was even good for us, or at least not BAD for us! Usually I'm iffy about diet recipes but it was so good I never would have guessed if she didn't tell us! Jeanette also made us some macerated berries (we had a lot of fun with that word) which were poured over angel food cake... okay, now I've made myself hungry!
We spent a wonderful evening eating, chatting, knitting and drinking! We got to break in (but no literally breaking occured, thank god) some of the beautiful dishware and stemware they've gotten recently as wedding gifts! Poor Rocky and Patch were the only males there... hopefully we didn't scare Rocky with all of our girly chit chat! THANK YOU Claudia and Rocky for being wonderful hosts!
Friday, June 22, 2007
Lafayette Reservoir
I had full intention yesterday of getting up early yesterday and doing the same morning workout I did last year. Yeah, that didn't happen. I think the big spike in my activity level and all this running I've been doing lately has just tuckered me out... I've been so pooped lately! The day ended up being so warm and I didn't really feel like running but I told myself that I had to at least do something!
For a change of scenery, I headed out to the Lafayette Reservoir. The reservoir has a really nice 2.7 mile paved trail that circles the lake and it's usually cooler out there because of a breeze coming off the water. The trail is really hilly though, almost as bad as Lake Chabot, so instead of killing myself trying to run it, I decided to just walk it. My final time for 2.73 miles was 45.33. Some of those hills are a real bitch (sorry mom :D) so I feel like I got a nice workout in even though I just walked it! I think that when I get in a little better shape I'll start running there every couple of weeks... it would be great hill training for Nike.
As I was driving out of the park, I noticed some turkeys along the road in this little field. Did I stop and "gobble, gobble" at them out the window? You bet I did. :P
Happy Friday everyone!! I'm so happy that I have NO plans for tonight! Just me, the couch, trashy tv and then early to bed! After that it's a busy weekend... tomorrow I'm going to run with the Diablo Valley team, go shopping with Claudia, then head to a birthday dinner in Oakland. Sunday it's some kind of workout in the AM and then Stitch 'n Bitch at Claudia's that afternoon! Is it bad that I'm more excited for the bitching, eating and drinking we're going to be doing than the stitching part?!
For a change of scenery, I headed out to the Lafayette Reservoir. The reservoir has a really nice 2.7 mile paved trail that circles the lake and it's usually cooler out there because of a breeze coming off the water. The trail is really hilly though, almost as bad as Lake Chabot, so instead of killing myself trying to run it, I decided to just walk it. My final time for 2.73 miles was 45.33. Some of those hills are a real bitch (sorry mom :D) so I feel like I got a nice workout in even though I just walked it! I think that when I get in a little better shape I'll start running there every couple of weeks... it would be great hill training for Nike.
As I was driving out of the park, I noticed some turkeys along the road in this little field. Did I stop and "gobble, gobble" at them out the window? You bet I did. :P
Happy Friday everyone!! I'm so happy that I have NO plans for tonight! Just me, the couch, trashy tv and then early to bed! After that it's a busy weekend... tomorrow I'm going to run with the Diablo Valley team, go shopping with Claudia, then head to a birthday dinner in Oakland. Sunday it's some kind of workout in the AM and then Stitch 'n Bitch at Claudia's that afternoon! Is it bad that I'm more excited for the bitching, eating and drinking we're going to be doing than the stitching part?!
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Short and Sweet
That's what last night's run felt like! After just a week and a half of training, I can definately feel an improvement in my running. I can go longer without feeling like I'm dying. My legs are recovered from Monday's night exercise video, the weather has been much cooler and last night's run actually felt good!
Claudia, Amy and I met up at our usual spot. We did our usual 30 minute/2.7 mile route but this time spread out a little more instead of staying together the whole time. The major benefit of running together is that we're OUT THERE together, even if we're not hip to hip the whole time!
The first 2 miles felt really good but I could feel myself slowing down during that last mile. I've run that route a million times but each time I forget that there is a minuscule uphill incline on the way back. It's just enough of a slope so that you feel really good on the way out, and a little sluggish on the way back!
After the run we didn't hang out and chit chat with each other like we usually do :D Even though it's a little warmer at 5:30 than it is at 6:30 (the time we used to meet for our TNT buddy runs) it's nice to get home with enough time to eat, and shower before I plop myself down on the couch to watch my fave summer TV show, So You Think You Can Dance! Ahhh, trashy TV I LUV you :D
Claudia, Amy and I met up at our usual spot. We did our usual 30 minute/2.7 mile route but this time spread out a little more instead of staying together the whole time. The major benefit of running together is that we're OUT THERE together, even if we're not hip to hip the whole time!
The first 2 miles felt really good but I could feel myself slowing down during that last mile. I've run that route a million times but each time I forget that there is a minuscule uphill incline on the way back. It's just enough of a slope so that you feel really good on the way out, and a little sluggish on the way back!
After the run we didn't hang out and chit chat with each other like we usually do :D Even though it's a little warmer at 5:30 than it is at 6:30 (the time we used to meet for our TNT buddy runs) it's nice to get home with enough time to eat, and shower before I plop myself down on the couch to watch my fave summer TV show, So You Think You Can Dance! Ahhh, trashy TV I LUV you :D
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Good Girl/Bad Girl
Last night I had planned to run on my own a little later in the evening when it was a little cooler. But yesterday my friend Amy emailed me to tell me that her dinner plans with a friend had fallen through so she could run with me. Yay... a running partner! We met up in Danville at 5:30. Even though it was a little earlier in the evening, the weather was very nice... a little cool with a nice breeze.
Amy and I headed out on the trail for a short 30 minute run. My legs were still super sore from that darn exercise video the night before and I could definitely feel it in my quads and thighs while we were running. After awhile the muscles loosened up a little but by the end of the run they were tight again. Amy and I really pushed it... we went out a little fast but slowed down on the way back. Our final time was 30.21 minutes for 2.7 miles ... not too bad for us!
After the run we ran into a TNT alum who had done NY the year before. He gave us some really good tips-- especially about what we should do while we're waiting around for hours for our wave to start. :( He said it's an amazing experience and the crowd support is awesome! I can't wait!!
After we spent about a half hour chit chatting, we headed over to Amy's house to eat the food she had bought for her dinner guest :) A running partner AND dinner... I'm so lucky! The dinner was super yummy-- I had a chicken breast, some corn and tomato salad and broccoli salad. What good girls we were. Ummm, that is, until we started drinking the wine! Bad, bad girls! I was just going to have a glass but Amy, sneaky lady that she is, kept refilling my glass! And who am I to tell her no!! Next thing I know, she says something about it being 10:45... WHAT?!! 10:45PM?!! I was still in my previously sweaty and I'm sure stinky running clothes! Time to go home, take a shower and put myself to bed!
Tonight Claudia, Amy and I are meeting again in Danville for our run... it's pretty cool out right now so I think it'll be nice. I'm just hoping my legs feel a little better tonight!
Amy and I headed out on the trail for a short 30 minute run. My legs were still super sore from that darn exercise video the night before and I could definitely feel it in my quads and thighs while we were running. After awhile the muscles loosened up a little but by the end of the run they were tight again. Amy and I really pushed it... we went out a little fast but slowed down on the way back. Our final time was 30.21 minutes for 2.7 miles ... not too bad for us!
After the run we ran into a TNT alum who had done NY the year before. He gave us some really good tips-- especially about what we should do while we're waiting around for hours for our wave to start. :( He said it's an amazing experience and the crowd support is awesome! I can't wait!!
After we spent about a half hour chit chatting, we headed over to Amy's house to eat the food she had bought for her dinner guest :) A running partner AND dinner... I'm so lucky! The dinner was super yummy-- I had a chicken breast, some corn and tomato salad and broccoli salad. What good girls we were. Ummm, that is, until we started drinking the wine! Bad, bad girls! I was just going to have a glass but Amy, sneaky lady that she is, kept refilling my glass! And who am I to tell her no!! Next thing I know, she says something about it being 10:45... WHAT?!! 10:45PM?!! I was still in my previously sweaty and I'm sure stinky running clothes! Time to go home, take a shower and put myself to bed!
Tonight Claudia, Amy and I are meeting again in Danville for our run... it's pretty cool out right now so I think it'll be nice. I'm just hoping my legs feel a little better tonight!
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Cherries, how I love you...
... but oh man, my belly sure doesn't :( I bought some cherries on Friday night and I've been really good about not eating too many until today. I ran out of the yogurt I eat for breakfast so all morning I've been snacking on a bowl of cherries. Yuuummm, but now I have a belly ache. :( I always go overboard with the darn cherries... it's just so easy to keep popping them in my mouth! Next thing I know, the bowl is empty :(
And on a semi-side note, when I bought these cherries at Safeway, they rang up for OVER $30!! Thank god I have a club card which brought it down to only $14 for the two bags but STILL!!! How do two bags of cherries cost $30?! Are they not in season yet? Are they super rare cherries from some far away place? I think I scared the guy at the check out counter because I kept going on about the expensive cherries.
The rest of my body is also sore today :) Last night when I got home I did an exercise DVD that I have. It's a super good workout and fun because there are 9 sections that you can mix and match: 3 ab workouts, 3 bun workout, and 3 that are arms, legs or both. Each section is 10 minutes long so you can customize your workout depending on how long you want to workout for and what areas you want to work.
I did one leg workout (lots of lunges and plies), one bun workout (more lunges, some squats and ballet type moves) and one ab workout (a few core moves and crunches). Boy is it a good workout... it's enough moving around so I work up a sweat and I can already feel it in my booty cheeks, abs and legs. Hopefully tonight's run will loosen up those tight muscles!
Monday, June 18, 2007
Where did the weekend go?
Wow, that seemed like SUCH a short weekend! Probably because it was a busy one...
Friday I went straight from work to Lindsay's parent's house in Orinda for her graduation party. A bunch of people from our TNT gang were there and it was really fun to be able to socialize at a non-TNT event! Just like I anticipated, there was lots alcohol and some very yummy food (like this pine nut covered wheel of brie.... YUUMMM). I was a pretty good girl and just had a beer and a little wine. After Lindsay's party a few of us headed over to our friend Bryan's, a TNT alum, to help him celebrate his 40th bday. We caught up with some more TNT peeps and enjoyed some of the best BBQ'd pork I've ever had! But man did it ever get chilly out there! When I had left the house that morning I contemplated grabbing a jacket but didn't, remembering how HOT it's been lately. Yeah, that was a mistake! Bryan's wife Jennifer provided us all with sweatshirts and long sleeved shirts. They're both tall people so I just want to know how I ended up wearing a shirt with sleeves that were two inches too short! Oh well, I was warm and happy with my margarita so I didn't mind :)
Saturday morning I went to go run at Heather Farms with the Diablo Valley team. Our Spring team was also having our last Mentor Led Run there for the people going out to Anchorage. The temperature was SO nice out there, at least for running! It was overcast, cool and breezy :D I decided to do about 4 miles and ended up running with Joseph, one of our Spring mentors. Despite the beer, wine, margaritas, brie, pork, cherries and HUGE slice of chocolate cake I had the night before, I felt pretty good out there... at least I did after the first couple of miles. My end time was 51.02 minutes for 3.98 miles. My actual running time was a little less than that-- I kept forgetting to stop my watch while we were waiting for lights and chit chatting at the water stop! Oops!
After the run and a shower, I headed up to my parent's house in Yuba City for the rest of the weekend. I did lots of laundry, watched movies with the folks, played with the dogs and just spent time relaxing. I got to hear all about the cruise my parents went on last week-- they had a good time and even brought me back some jewelry from Mexico :D While they were on this cruise, they booked their next one... through the Panama Canal!! I'm sojealous excited for them! Umm, maybe I could stowaway in their luggage. :D
I even ran into a couple of friends from high school, John and Karen, when we went out to lunch on Sunday. If turning 30 didn't already make me feel old, this did... they have a son who is going to be a freshman in high school next year! AHHH! Okay, so they had him when were in high school but still... that means I could technically be the parent of a high schooler.. oh lord, now THAT is a scary thought!
Friday I went straight from work to Lindsay's parent's house in Orinda for her graduation party. A bunch of people from our TNT gang were there and it was really fun to be able to socialize at a non-TNT event! Just like I anticipated, there was lots alcohol and some very yummy food (like this pine nut covered wheel of brie.... YUUMMM). I was a pretty good girl and just had a beer and a little wine. After Lindsay's party a few of us headed over to our friend Bryan's, a TNT alum, to help him celebrate his 40th bday. We caught up with some more TNT peeps and enjoyed some of the best BBQ'd pork I've ever had! But man did it ever get chilly out there! When I had left the house that morning I contemplated grabbing a jacket but didn't, remembering how HOT it's been lately. Yeah, that was a mistake! Bryan's wife Jennifer provided us all with sweatshirts and long sleeved shirts. They're both tall people so I just want to know how I ended up wearing a shirt with sleeves that were two inches too short! Oh well, I was warm and happy with my margarita so I didn't mind :)
Saturday morning I went to go run at Heather Farms with the Diablo Valley team. Our Spring team was also having our last Mentor Led Run there for the people going out to Anchorage. The temperature was SO nice out there, at least for running! It was overcast, cool and breezy :D I decided to do about 4 miles and ended up running with Joseph, one of our Spring mentors. Despite the beer, wine, margaritas, brie, pork, cherries and HUGE slice of chocolate cake I had the night before, I felt pretty good out there... at least I did after the first couple of miles. My end time was 51.02 minutes for 3.98 miles. My actual running time was a little less than that-- I kept forgetting to stop my watch while we were waiting for lights and chit chatting at the water stop! Oops!
After the run and a shower, I headed up to my parent's house in Yuba City for the rest of the weekend. I did lots of laundry, watched movies with the folks, played with the dogs and just spent time relaxing. I got to hear all about the cruise my parents went on last week-- they had a good time and even brought me back some jewelry from Mexico :D While they were on this cruise, they booked their next one... through the Panama Canal!! I'm so
I even ran into a couple of friends from high school, John and Karen, when we went out to lunch on Sunday. If turning 30 didn't already make me feel old, this did... they have a son who is going to be a freshman in high school next year! AHHH! Okay, so they had him when were in high school but still... that means I could technically be the parent of a high schooler.. oh lord, now THAT is a scary thought!
Friday, June 15, 2007
Happy, happy Friday!
Woo hoo! First week of training is over! Only 20 more weeks to go! Wow, that doesn't sound very long does it? :(
Usually when I'm training, Fridays are a very low key night. No parties, no going out, no craziness-- it's too hard when we have to get up at the butt crack of dawn the next day to run. Well, who am I kidding... even when I'm NOT training there's no craziness on Friday nights. I know, I'm such an old boring 30 year old :( BUT, tonight I will not be spending the evening catching up on trashy tv... I have 2 party's to go to! Right after work I'm off to Lindsay's to help her celebrate her upcoming graduation! CONGRATS LINDSAY!! Right after that, it's off to Bryan's 40th birthday party! HAPPY BDAY BRYAN!!! I have a feeling both parties will have a large supply of booze but I'm going to TRY to be a good girl and not have too much :D (Yeah right) I do need to get up tomorrow (the earlier the better with this heat) to go for a run. After THAT, it's off to Yuba Duba to hang with my parents for Father's Day :D It's going to be a busy, but very fun weekend!
Have a safe and wonderful weekend everyone!
Usually when I'm training, Fridays are a very low key night. No parties, no going out, no craziness-- it's too hard when we have to get up at the butt crack of dawn the next day to run. Well, who am I kidding... even when I'm NOT training there's no craziness on Friday nights. I know, I'm such an old boring 30 year old :( BUT, tonight I will not be spending the evening catching up on trashy tv... I have 2 party's to go to! Right after work I'm off to Lindsay's to help her celebrate her upcoming graduation! CONGRATS LINDSAY!! Right after that, it's off to Bryan's 40th birthday party! HAPPY BDAY BRYAN!!! I have a feeling both parties will have a large supply of booze but I'm going to TRY to be a good girl and not have too much :D (Yeah right) I do need to get up tomorrow (the earlier the better with this heat) to go for a run. After THAT, it's off to Yuba Duba to hang with my parents for Father's Day :D It's going to be a busy, but very fun weekend!
Have a safe and wonderful weekend everyone!
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Running update for the week...
I've been a good girl all week and got my running in-- I even did 3 out of the 4 runs on my own! Here's the break down:
Saturday:
Last Coached Run of the Spring team, first Coached Run of the Summer team. I went out to help at one of the water stops and decided that I would get my run in by running towards the start for 1.5 miles and back. My Garmin says that I did 3.08 miles in 36.42 minutes. Not too bad for my first run. I did go out a little too fast and on the way back took a couple of walk breaks. I felt really good afterwards but two days later I was SUPER sore!!
Tuesday:
I decided to wait and do my run about 7:00PM since it would hopefully be a LITTLE cooler at that point. Yeah, not so much. It was still really hot out then. I started out on the Iron Horse Trail that runs behind my street and ran out one direction and back, and then out the other direction and back. There are tons of big, tall trees along the trail which provided some wonderful shade, but also screwed with the GPS on my watch. I ran for 25.21 minutes and my watch said that was 1.86 miles-- the Iron Horse Trail map says that section is 1.18 miles so out and back my REAL mileage was 2.36.
Wednesday:
I met up with Claudia and Amy to run the Iron Horse Trail in Danville at 5:30PM. I was seriously scared about running that early in the evening when it was supposed to be nearing 100 degrees. I had vision of me fainting with heat stroke and Amy and Claudia dragging my body back to the car. No fun. BUT, it wasn't actually as bad as I had anticipated. There was no fainting, no heat stroke, no hallucinations. It was super hot yes, but we still did the damn thing, with only a little bit of complaining! It definitely helped to run with other people... on my own I probably would have walked much more! Final time was 33.35 minutes for 2.65 miles.
Thursday:
To avoid another hot, evening run, I decided to drag my lazy bum out of bed and go for a run early this morning. Ahhh, SO much nicer out there at 6:30AM than it is at 6:30PM. I decided that since Thursday is usually our track day, I would do something a little different than just run. On the section of the Iron Horse Trail near my apartment, there are two overpasses that cross the street-- they both have a set of stairs that go up one side, and down the other. One overpass is right where I access the trail and the other is about a half mile down the trail at the high school. I started out from my apartment and ran the 100 yards to the trail, then I ran up and down both sets of stairs on the one overpass. Pause... catch my breath. Then I headed out towards the other overpass, did those two sets of stairs. Walk break... catch my breath. I ran to the end of that part of the trail, and back to the overpass to do those two sets of stairs again. Walk break... catch my breath :D And then I ran back to the start of the trail and the first overpass. I skipped the stairs on that one since I need to get back, shower and get ready for work! Even though I started super early, I was still a sweaty mess when I got back-- I don't think I really cooled down until the drive to work with the air blasting! (I know you all really wanted to know that!) Final time: 25.29 minutes.
Saturday:
Last Coached Run of the Spring team, first Coached Run of the Summer team. I went out to help at one of the water stops and decided that I would get my run in by running towards the start for 1.5 miles and back. My Garmin says that I did 3.08 miles in 36.42 minutes. Not too bad for my first run. I did go out a little too fast and on the way back took a couple of walk breaks. I felt really good afterwards but two days later I was SUPER sore!!
Tuesday:
I decided to wait and do my run about 7:00PM since it would hopefully be a LITTLE cooler at that point. Yeah, not so much. It was still really hot out then. I started out on the Iron Horse Trail that runs behind my street and ran out one direction and back, and then out the other direction and back. There are tons of big, tall trees along the trail which provided some wonderful shade, but also screwed with the GPS on my watch. I ran for 25.21 minutes and my watch said that was 1.86 miles-- the Iron Horse Trail map says that section is 1.18 miles so out and back my REAL mileage was 2.36.
Wednesday:
I met up with Claudia and Amy to run the Iron Horse Trail in Danville at 5:30PM. I was seriously scared about running that early in the evening when it was supposed to be nearing 100 degrees. I had vision of me fainting with heat stroke and Amy and Claudia dragging my body back to the car. No fun. BUT, it wasn't actually as bad as I had anticipated. There was no fainting, no heat stroke, no hallucinations. It was super hot yes, but we still did the damn thing, with only a little bit of complaining! It definitely helped to run with other people... on my own I probably would have walked much more! Final time was 33.35 minutes for 2.65 miles.
Thursday:
To avoid another hot, evening run, I decided to drag my lazy bum out of bed and go for a run early this morning. Ahhh, SO much nicer out there at 6:30AM than it is at 6:30PM. I decided that since Thursday is usually our track day, I would do something a little different than just run. On the section of the Iron Horse Trail near my apartment, there are two overpasses that cross the street-- they both have a set of stairs that go up one side, and down the other. One overpass is right where I access the trail and the other is about a half mile down the trail at the high school. I started out from my apartment and ran the 100 yards to the trail, then I ran up and down both sets of stairs on the one overpass. Pause... catch my breath. Then I headed out towards the other overpass, did those two sets of stairs. Walk break... catch my breath. I ran to the end of that part of the trail, and back to the overpass to do those two sets of stairs again. Walk break... catch my breath :D And then I ran back to the start of the trail and the first overpass. I skipped the stairs on that one since I need to get back, shower and get ready for work! Even though I started super early, I was still a sweaty mess when I got back-- I don't think I really cooled down until the drive to work with the air blasting! (I know you all really wanted to know that!) Final time: 25.29 minutes.
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Quickie update
A lot has happened during the 5 months of my blogging sabbatical-- Here's a quickie update for you all! I running update for the week will come tomorrow!
I'll do the sad stuff first. Many of you knew Brenda personally, but many of you may only have know about her through my blog. Last time I wrote in January, Brenda had undergone a stem cell transplant and we were all very optimistic about her recovery. Unfortunately, 110 days after her transplant, she developed graft vs. host disease in her lungs. Despite numerous efforts on the part of her doctors to get rid of it, and after many months of bravely battling it, Brenda passed away on April 14, 2007. Brenda was an incredible person-- I've never seen someone who smiled so much, even when life wasn't treating her so well. She was an amazing inspiration to so many of us that knew her, and countless others who didn't, and she continues to inspire us to get out and do the damn thing! This is my favorite picture of her...
The other semi sad news was that my roomy and bff Claudia left me to move in with a BOY!! :( BUT, that leads me to the good news ... they got hitched :D They had a beautiful, private wedding ceremony in gorgeous Maui and are now very much the happily married couple! I couldn't be more excited for them! So I did lose a wonderful roomie, but in the process gained an equally wonderful BFF-in-law! :D Just look how cute they are...
Well, I think that covers the major things that have happened in the last few months... check back tomorrow to hear all about how the running is going (that is if I survive tonight's run in the 95+ degree heat!)!
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
New York here I come!!
Woo hoo!! I just found out yesterday that I got into the New York Marathon! Yeah! Oh wait, that means I need to start training again... CRAP :( Is there such thing as a pinch runner for marathoners? If so, where could I find myself one of those? :D
After swearing off marathons for a year and a half, I was finally ready to tackle another one. A few of my friends had gotten into the New York marathon over the past few years and had rolled over until this year, so they'd all be able to run it together. I was all set to head out there and put my marathon cheering skills to good use when I figured "What the hell... I might as well see if I can get in too". It's not like I'm going to go back years from now, take my chances with the lottery and make the trek out there by my lonesome. So I entered the lottery and spent months fretting over it. I decided that even if I didn't get into NY, I needed to get my jiggly butt back in shape and train for a marathon. My 2nd choice was the Nike Full Marathon... hills, EEEKK!
LUCKILY, I got into the New York Marathon, as did good friends Jeanette and Raji! The girls seemed to have good luck, not so much the boys... Rocky and Phil didn't get in :( Sad Pandas :( They will be out there cheering for us though and it will be a wonderful treat to see their smiling faces (along with Karen) along the course!
So this means I've got to start running again. SIGH... I haven't run since the Arizona Rock N'Roll Half Marathon in January. I think my running shoes are filled with cobwebs at this point :( Our unofficial coach Claudia put together a training schedule for us all and darn it, I'm going to stick with it. I have a couple more weeks until that training calender starts so I'm going to spend that time getting back into running. Wish me good luck... I'll need it!
After swearing off marathons for a year and a half, I was finally ready to tackle another one. A few of my friends had gotten into the New York marathon over the past few years and had rolled over until this year, so they'd all be able to run it together. I was all set to head out there and put my marathon cheering skills to good use when I figured "What the hell... I might as well see if I can get in too". It's not like I'm going to go back years from now, take my chances with the lottery and make the trek out there by my lonesome. So I entered the lottery and spent months fretting over it. I decided that even if I didn't get into NY, I needed to get my jiggly butt back in shape and train for a marathon. My 2nd choice was the Nike Full Marathon... hills, EEEKK!
LUCKILY, I got into the New York Marathon, as did good friends Jeanette and Raji! The girls seemed to have good luck, not so much the boys... Rocky and Phil didn't get in :( Sad Pandas :( They will be out there cheering for us though and it will be a wonderful treat to see their smiling faces (along with Karen) along the course!
So this means I've got to start running again. SIGH... I haven't run since the Arizona Rock N'Roll Half Marathon in January. I think my running shoes are filled with cobwebs at this point :( Our unofficial coach Claudia put together a training schedule for us all and darn it, I'm going to stick with it. I have a couple more weeks until that training calender starts so I'm going to spend that time getting back into running. Wish me good luck... I'll need it!
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Running is a mental sport and we're all insane!
That was a caption that I saw on the t-shirt of a girl running the Rock N'Roll Arizona Half Marathon. When I saw it I had to crack up... it's funny because it's true :D Here's a recap of my Half Marathon weekend in frigid Arizona:
Saturday Jan. 13:
Up and out of the house before the sun was up-- off to the SF airport to catch the team flight to Phoenix. It's funny how runners will tend to find eachother-- while waiting for our flight to board, Mama Lisa and I ran into a guy who was making a detour on the way home from a work conference to run the marathon in AZ. He and Mama Lisa chatted about ultra-marathons, I headed to the bathroom to pee for the gazillionth time.
Once we got to AZ we were shuttled to the Hyatt in downtown Phoenix, our hotel for the weekend. The hotel was really nice, but even nicer was that I got my own room! After putting my stuff in the room I headed downstairs to grab a sandwich and MORE water and then it was off to the Expo. The Expo was HUGE, which I expected, and CROWDED, which I expected too. After grabbing my packet, t-shirt and making a lap around the Expo, I headed back to the hotel to lay out all my gear for the next day.
Saturday Jan. 13:
Up and out of the house before the sun was up-- off to the SF airport to catch the team flight to Phoenix. It's funny how runners will tend to find eachother-- while waiting for our flight to board, Mama Lisa and I ran into a guy who was making a detour on the way home from a work conference to run the marathon in AZ. He and Mama Lisa chatted about ultra-marathons, I headed to the bathroom to pee for the gazillionth time.
Once we got to AZ we were shuttled to the Hyatt in downtown Phoenix, our hotel for the weekend. The hotel was really nice, but even nicer was that I got my own room! After putting my stuff in the room I headed downstairs to grab a sandwich and MORE water and then it was off to the Expo. The Expo was HUGE, which I expected, and CROWDED, which I expected too. After grabbing my packet, t-shirt and making a lap around the Expo, I headed back to the hotel to lay out all my gear for the next day.
Our pasta party that night was at the Convention Center which was thankfully right across the street from the hotel. After going through the "gauntlet" of cheering TNT staff and coaches, I sat at a table with Chris, our other EB runner, and some SF run people. Is was your typical Pasta Party... not-too-great pasta, too many speakers, and of course tears and laughter. The laughter came during a pep talk given by the Penguin, aka John Bingham. Even though I've heard John talk many time before, and even though he covers some of the same topics, he always cracks me up. He like a runner's comic... no one gets the jokes but us :D He did a shout out to Mama Lisa-- I wish the whole team could have been there to show her the love, instead of the cheers coming from just Chris and I! The tears came from our Honoree speaker. Her daughter had cancer and passed away not too long ago. She talked a lot about how all of us in the room were Heroes for doing what we were doing-- for making the choice to train on behalf of and raise money for people like her daughter. Man, where were the Kleenexes when I need them!
Sunday Jan. 14:
Ahhh, race day :D I didn't sleep well the night before... the room was too hot and I was too paranoid about not getting up on time. I got up at about 5:00 AM, did all my pre-race prep, put on the warmest running clothes I brought since I knew it was going to be a cool day, opened the door to head downstairs and found this outside my door:
Sunday Jan. 14:
Ahhh, race day :D I didn't sleep well the night before... the room was too hot and I was too paranoid about not getting up on time. I got up at about 5:00 AM, did all my pre-race prep, put on the warmest running clothes I brought since I knew it was going to be a cool day, opened the door to head downstairs and found this outside my door:
Thanks Abby :D I met up with Mama Lisa, Chris and the SF team down in the lobby at 6:00 AM. Mama Lisa, Chris and I decided to write CANCER on the bottom of our shoes so that with each step, we would know we were doing what we could to stamp out Cancer (I wish we could take credit for that idea but we stole it from our Honoree speaker the night before). Because the bottom of our shoes aren't smooth you couldn't really read it, but we knew it was there. At about 6:30 we decided to head over to the shuttle that was going to take us to the start. Standing in line, we got the first feel of what the temperature outside was... downright arctic. It was FREEZING, well technically it was BELOW freezing, 27 degrees to be exact. And here I am in my running capris, singlet, long sleeve shirt and another thin shirt on top of that. No gloves, no long pants, no ear warmers. I was in big trouble.
We got to the start around 7:00, a good half hour before the marathon was set to start and and hour and a half before my race, the half marathon, would start. Anyone who knows me well know that coffee doesn't always agree with my tummy or my digestive system. And on race day, you don't want to mess with anything that's going to wreak havoc on your system. Well I was so freezing cold, I actually got a hot, steaming cup of heaven (aka Coffee) to hold in my hands... I even drank the whole cup hoping that a warm tummy would mean warm fingers and toes :D I watched the marathon start and then walked around a little trying to keep the blood circulating before I checked my bag about 15 minutes before the half marathon start. By the time I made it to my corral (#14 of 27) the sun was starting to come out and when you stood in a the sun it wasn't quite as cold. My back was already starting to tighten up though from all the shivering. 8:30 rolls around, no starting gun. 8:35, no starting gun. 8:40, no starting gun. OH COME ON PEOPLE, I'm freezing my hiney off! FINALLY at 8:45 the gun goes off and by 9:00 I'm across the starting line!!
My game plan going into the race is to keep it nice and slow for the first 10 miles and after that, depending on how I feel, I can speed up. I know that I won't be PRing here so my goal is to finish feeling less crappy than I did after San Jose and Nike. Thanks to my awesome Garmin 205 GPS watch, I can see my current pace and try to stay around a 12 minute mile. (I know, a snail's pace but I've embraced my slowness :D) Within the first mile I see some portapotties lined up along the street... even though I don't really have to pee, I can't pass up a line of porta potties with no lines! For the first mile and a half, I literally can not feel my feet. At first I'm afraid that something is seriously wrong but then it sinks in that they're just very, very cold. I start to see gloves, sweatshirts and sweatpants strewn across the road as people start to warm up and strip off their extra layers. Two things come to mind: 1) I could have used these cast offs a mile and a half ago and 2) Mama Lisa's going to have a field day with all these discarded gloves-- they'll be great additions to her collection :D
Around mile 3 a bead of sweat actually breaks out on my face. I must be starting to warm up a little-- YIPEE!! I'm feeling pretty good so I run through the first water stop and just drink a little gatorade. I think the problem I've had with my last races is that I drink too much water and not enough gatorade, leaving me feeling nauseous and light headed. So this time I've decided to drink all gatorday and save the water for when I take a Gu.
The half marathon course isn't all that exciting. It's flat, which is good, but not particularly pretty. A lot of businesses, some apartment complexes, and flat, barren land, with the occasional cactus, for miles. I see a lot of interesting people along the course, one man singing to himself quite loudly, people with very clever t-shirts, a LOT of Team In Training people and of course lots of live music! The TNT support was great... lots of people yelling "Go Olivia", and "Go Team"! Once we got into Scottsdale it was a little prettier-- we passed by the field where the A's play during Spring Training. It was funny to be all the way in Arizona and run by a place that is actually familiar!
The half marathon course isn't all that exciting. It's flat, which is good, but not particularly pretty. A lot of businesses, some apartment complexes, and flat, barren land, with the occasional cactus, for miles. I see a lot of interesting people along the course, one man singing to himself quite loudly, people with very clever t-shirts, a LOT of Team In Training people and of course lots of live music! The TNT support was great... lots of people yelling "Go Olivia", and "Go Team"! Once we got into Scottsdale it was a little prettier-- we passed by the field where the A's play during Spring Training. It was funny to be all the way in Arizona and run by a place that is actually familiar!
By mile 11 I was feeling really good and felt like I had plenty of energy left for the last two miles so I increased my pace a little bit. After mile 12, I reached THE ZONE, that point where everything feels right. You get chills and this euphoric feeling. You feel like you could run forever and never get tired. You feel like a rockstar! Thanks to my handy dandy watch I knew that I had only .5 miles until the start so I kicked it into high gear. I was passing all these walkers and people who just looked beat-- didn't they know the finish line was so close?! I crossed the finish line, remembered to smile and NOT look at my watch (so my head wouldn't be down in my picture :D) Final time: 2:41:49. Not my best but damn I felt good :D I picked up my medal, got my picture taken, picked up my bag and headed to the TNT tent to check out. They had some PT people there stretching people so I waited in line (chowing down on peanut butter crackers and guzzling my past race electrolyte drink-- no water yet for me!) to have my back stretched.
Monday Jan. 15:
I woke up the next morning with no muscle soreness and just a few stiff joints :D I slept MUCH better than I did on Saturday night! Sunday night I had decided that I was going to treat myself to room service for breakfast so I filled out the form, hung it on my door and then just like magic, my cinnamon Bun French Toast appeared at door at 9:30 :D Yummmm
After a morning of relaxing, it was time to pack up and head to the airport for the plane ride home! So long Arizona! I'm just so happy that my last race of the season is finished... Arizona turned out to be a great race for me but the idea of training for another run just doesn't appeal to me at all. We just started a new season and although I'm captaining again, I'm not training for any races right now. Who knows what my next race will be!
Friday, January 12, 2007
Finally... my last race of the season!
In the future, if anyone hears me say that I'm going to sign up for 4 races in one season, please stop me. Tie my hands behind my back, sit on me, what ever it takes. My initial feeling that 4 races in one season would motivate me to keep running was wrong. Instead, I stayed completely unmotivated in the running department and have three crappy races so far to show for it. Ok, Disneyland wasn't that crappy... It went much better than I anticipated only because I expected to be debilitated by the heat. Since then, everything went downhill. San Jose was very hard for me, Nike was tough (as usual) and now I have Arizona coming up this weekend! ACKK!!! Funny thing is, even though I've felt progresively worse in each race (and especially AFTER each race) my times are all fairly close.
Since Thanksgiving my training has been really lax. I've made it out to a couple of Buddy Runs and no track workouts. We've only had a few Coached Runs because of the holidays and on the off weekends I really haven't run. I did get in one run over the Christmas break, mainly because 1) Since I hauled all my running crap out there I had to run at least once and 2) I wanted to try out my fun new Xmas present, the Garmin Forerunner 205 :D This watch is awesome... it pretty much does everything but run for you!
Tomorrow I am off to Arizona with the team (me, one participant who I don't know, Chris, who isn't officially on the team, and Mama Lisa). Our flight leaves early so when we get to Arizona there will be time to check in, hit the Expo, relax and get everything laid out for the race before we head off to the Pasta Party. Sunday is race day. It should be a very interesting experience because this will be the first time where I don't know anyone out of the course with me! I know a few poeple doing the full marathon, but no one doing the half. I'll be all alone :( well, me plus the thousands of other people out there pounding the pavement in the dry Arizona air! This is also the first time that I've traveled with the team for a race too. Usually I stick with local races so it's just a matter of driving to where the race is.
I'll post an update and some pictures once I'm back!
Since Thanksgiving my training has been really lax. I've made it out to a couple of Buddy Runs and no track workouts. We've only had a few Coached Runs because of the holidays and on the off weekends I really haven't run. I did get in one run over the Christmas break, mainly because 1) Since I hauled all my running crap out there I had to run at least once and 2) I wanted to try out my fun new Xmas present, the Garmin Forerunner 205 :D This watch is awesome... it pretty much does everything but run for you!
Tomorrow I am off to Arizona with the team (me, one participant who I don't know, Chris, who isn't officially on the team, and Mama Lisa). Our flight leaves early so when we get to Arizona there will be time to check in, hit the Expo, relax and get everything laid out for the race before we head off to the Pasta Party. Sunday is race day. It should be a very interesting experience because this will be the first time where I don't know anyone out of the course with me! I know a few poeple doing the full marathon, but no one doing the half. I'll be all alone :( well, me plus the thousands of other people out there pounding the pavement in the dry Arizona air! This is also the first time that I've traveled with the team for a race too. Usually I stick with local races so it's just a matter of driving to where the race is.
I'll post an update and some pictures once I'm back!
Thursday, January 04, 2007
Welcome to 2007!
Wow, I can't believe how quickly 2006 came and went! Especially December, which was a blur of activities! First there was the big 3-0 which I survived :D
Yummm... chocolate fondue :D
Then it was off to Hawaii with the family. As usual, we had an incredible time. The weather was gorgeous and I managed to not get a sunburn, just more freckles :D We did a few more activities this trip than we usually do... we went on a couple of boat trips (my fave thing to do since I can enjoy the water without getting IN it with the fishies), drove through the upcountry and to the top of Haleakala, hit a few beaches and of course, ATE ourselves silly. Basically every activity we did was planned around which of our favorite restaurants we wanted to hit!
My brother and I, making breakfast for our parents... we do get along, really.
Where we spent Christmas Day... Call Box Beach (so named by us because it's the only landmark we could find to mark the location)
Family Christmas portrait
Me and my brother on one of our boat trips, before I pushed him overboard ;P
Sun going down, or coming up... I can't remember
On our Sunset cruise... free cocktails make for a happy family!
Then it was on to New Year's Eve and our 007 themed party at the Gift Center in SF. SO much fun, especially because we got to hang out with all the cool peeps in the BIP section (thanks to Claudia's hookup!). We had our own seating area with bottle service and appetizers! Everyone was totally dressed up and looked great and it was a very fun evening... even the BART ride back home at 2:30 AM wasn't so bad... there were plenty of crazy people on the train to keep me entertained :D HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!!
Getting ready to head out... and yes, I am crouching down so that I don't look like the tall amazon I usually do in pictures!
Friday, December 22, 2006
Tis the Season...
Merry Christmas everyone!!! For some reason it doesn't really feel that Christmas is just 3 days away. Maybe it's because for the last few days, I've been packing up tank tops, shorts and flip flops. :D I also haven't seen a huge number of decorations or heard a lot of Christmas carols. Maybe it'll feel more like Christmas when I start wrapping gifts while listening to Mele Kalikimaka being played over and over again on the radio :D
I hope that you all have a wonderful Christmas and a very happy New Year!!!
I hope that you all have a wonderful Christmas and a very happy New Year!!!
Monday, December 18, 2006
OH MY GOD I'M 30!
Yes it's true... I'm 30 :( But although I was completely dreading turning the big 3-0, I had a fantastic birthday! Saturday I did my 10 miler with Phil, a true trooper who, even though he hasn't run more than 5 miles since our last race, came out to do 10 miles with me! Even though it was literally freezing and I never completely warmed up, I felt great. We started in Danville and ran 2.5 miles out and back towards Walnut Creek and then 2.5 out and back towards San Ramon. While we were out there we ran into two TNT alums who are training for the Arizona full and were doing their 20 miler. I was never happier to "only" be doing 10 miles :D
Saturday night it was off to Fondue Fred's in Berkeley for my birthday dinner. The food wasn't bad, the wine wasn't great but the best thing about them both was that they were unlimited! After dinner, with a cheese child growing in my full belly and my cheecks sore from laughing so much we headed out for some more fun in Walnut Creek. Sunday, my actual birthday, it was off to Phil's for a housewarming party, YUMMY food and trashy tv :D Some lumpia and carrot cake was all I needed to make my birthday complete :D Thank you to everyone for making my 30th so much fun!!
Now this week it's back to business-- I've got a lot to do at work and home before I leave on Sat. for Hawaii!!
Saturday night it was off to Fondue Fred's in Berkeley for my birthday dinner. The food wasn't bad, the wine wasn't great but the best thing about them both was that they were unlimited! After dinner, with a cheese child growing in my full belly and my cheecks sore from laughing so much we headed out for some more fun in Walnut Creek. Sunday, my actual birthday, it was off to Phil's for a housewarming party, YUMMY food and trashy tv :D Some lumpia and carrot cake was all I needed to make my birthday complete :D Thank you to everyone for making my 30th so much fun!!
Now this week it's back to business-- I've got a lot to do at work and home before I leave on Sat. for Hawaii!!
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
ACHOOO!
Has anyone heard of having allergies in the winter? I never had until this winter. Ever since Thanksgiving I've been sneezing up a storm. I initially thought it was from my parents new little doggie but when I kept sneezing long after I left after Thanksgiving, I had to abandon that theory :( So last week I got this awful, couldn't-sleep-because-I-kept-dreaming-I-was-choking sore throat :( At Stitch N' Bitch last Wed. night Amy told me that yes, people do get allergies in the winter from all the particle matter in the air. GREAT :( After that things went from bad to worse-- sore glands, runny nose, sneezing, coughing and then on Sunday I started losing my voice :( Today I'm feeling much better although I'm still congested and producing more snot than I thought humanly possible.
Because of this, I haven't run since the 2nd of Dec. I had a great run at Heather Farms in the freezing cold. I did 8 miles all by myself (I was out doing a water stop and snuck my run in before the long runners came through) and felt really good! After the run, the Winter Team had their honoree potluck so I got to see Brenda too! She came out with her son and a couple of friends. It was so nice to see her out there with the team again!
Tuesday we had the Send Off for all the Honolulu Marathoners so I didn't go to the Buddy Run. Sat. I was out of town and not feeling well so now he were are again at Tuesday and I'm not going to the run. :( I figure I'll wait until I can breathe properly before I go out there to run in the cold :) I will definitely be running this weekend though at our Coached Run since it's my only chance to get in my 10 miler-- the next two weekends I will be away in Hawaii... WOO HOO!
Because of this, I haven't run since the 2nd of Dec. I had a great run at Heather Farms in the freezing cold. I did 8 miles all by myself (I was out doing a water stop and snuck my run in before the long runners came through) and felt really good! After the run, the Winter Team had their honoree potluck so I got to see Brenda too! She came out with her son and a couple of friends. It was so nice to see her out there with the team again!
Tuesday we had the Send Off for all the Honolulu Marathoners so I didn't go to the Buddy Run. Sat. I was out of town and not feeling well so now he were are again at Tuesday and I'm not going to the run. :( I figure I'll wait until I can breathe properly before I go out there to run in the cold :) I will definitely be running this weekend though at our Coached Run since it's my only chance to get in my 10 miler-- the next two weekends I will be away in Hawaii... WOO HOO!
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
Back in the saddle!
I've been feeling a little burnt out of the running lately, and therefore my blog has suffered :( But now it's time to get back into things-- after all, I do have another half marathon coming up in a little over a month. I seriously need to get my butt in gear!
Here's a quick update:
Sat. Nov. 18 we had a coached run at the Berkeley Marina. After getting the water stop people off I headed out with a few girls. They were all doing longer mileages so I turned around at the water stop at mile 3.5. I felt good although got a little lonely on the way back with no one to run with :(
Skip to the Tuesday Nov. 28 Buddy Run. I know, 10 days without running isn't good but the holiday through everything a little off. I had good intentions when I went home to YC but of course good intentions didn't get my butt out of bed and out for a run! I felt really good at the Buddy Run, even though it was literally freezing (well, at least it felt like it!). I started out with a faster girl and Gary (man they kicked my butt... and I'm sure they were holding back too!) but they wanted to keep going so I turned around and ran back with one of the Winter team participants.
I have doggie duty until Mommy Claudia comes back from New York so instead of being out in the cold at track on Thursday, I'll be with Patch at his doggie class :D This weekend we have another coached run at Heather Farms and my goal is to run about 8 miles. We'll see how I do :D
Here's a quick update:
Sat. Nov. 18 we had a coached run at the Berkeley Marina. After getting the water stop people off I headed out with a few girls. They were all doing longer mileages so I turned around at the water stop at mile 3.5. I felt good although got a little lonely on the way back with no one to run with :(
Skip to the Tuesday Nov. 28 Buddy Run. I know, 10 days without running isn't good but the holiday through everything a little off. I had good intentions when I went home to YC but of course good intentions didn't get my butt out of bed and out for a run! I felt really good at the Buddy Run, even though it was literally freezing (well, at least it felt like it!). I started out with a faster girl and Gary (man they kicked my butt... and I'm sure they were holding back too!) but they wanted to keep going so I turned around and ran back with one of the Winter team participants.
I have doggie duty until Mommy Claudia comes back from New York so instead of being out in the cold at track on Thursday, I'll be with Patch at his doggie class :D This weekend we have another coached run at Heather Farms and my goal is to run about 8 miles. We'll see how I do :D
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
It feels like winter
I woke up VERY early Saturday morning to the sound of pouring rain. After about three weeks off after Nike, I had decided that Saturday I needed to start running again and training for my next half marathon in Arizona. I admit... when I heard that rain I was more than a little happy that I may have an excuse to miss the Mentor Led Run that morning. No such luck. The rain died down so off I went to Lafayette/Moraga trail for a run.
We had a good number of people there-- the Winter team just started and some of the local participants came out for their first run with us. Since I haven't done anything since Nike and had been eating like a pig, I decided that I'd run about 4 miles or so. I love the Lafayette/Moraga trail but I hate the slight incline on the way out. On the first two miles out I was definately feeling the Chinese food I ate the night before, the incline and my lack of training. No fun. The way back was much easier and I felt better by the time I got back to the start. :D
Tonight I'm off to the Buddy Run... I'm just hoping it doesn't start raining on us! :D
We had a good number of people there-- the Winter team just started and some of the local participants came out for their first run with us. Since I haven't done anything since Nike and had been eating like a pig, I decided that I'd run about 4 miles or so. I love the Lafayette/Moraga trail but I hate the slight incline on the way out. On the first two miles out I was definately feeling the Chinese food I ate the night before, the incline and my lack of training. No fun. The way back was much easier and I felt better by the time I got back to the start. :D
Tonight I'm off to the Buddy Run... I'm just hoping it doesn't start raining on us! :D
Monday, November 06, 2006
Bad, bad blogger
I've been such a lazy blogger... Here it is the beginning of November and I am just now writing about Nike! I guess after three half marathons in a row I just wanted to forget about running for a few weeks. Thankfully I only have one more to go!!!
Wow, Nike is one of the most beautiful courses but it kicks my butt every year! I get so used to what San Francisco looks like that I forget what an amazing city it is. Running through the streets of SF with people from all over the US made me look at the city through their eyes and realize how lucky we are to be able to run in the Bay Area on a regular basis! Nike takes you through so many picturesque areas: Union Square, the Embarcadero, Pier 39, Fisherman's Wharf, Fort Mason, Marina Green and Chrissy Field with gorgeous views of the Golden Gate Bridge smothered in fog. Then we leave the flat part of the course behind and we climb into the foggy hills of the Presidio, run above Baker Beach where I can hear the ocean but not see it, by the palatial homes of Sea Cliff (Robin Williams' included), down by the Cliff House and along Ocean Beach, up into Golden Gate Park with the Bison, "Chocolate Mile" and then finally to the finish line along the Ocean.
I started out running with Phil although he ditched me around mile 1 to pursue his PR. :( I felt really good until we got into the Presidio and the second, hilly section of the course. I ran up the short first hill but walked all the rest, which really feels more like a series of long, drawn out inclines. Karen and Rocky were out there providing support so seeing them gave me something to look forward to. I knew that Brenda was suppossed to be in Golden Gate Park somewhere so I spent those last miles looking for her and reminding myself that when I did see her, NOT to run up and give her a hug. :D Her Dr. gave her the okay to come out and cheer us on but since she recently had her stem cell transplant, hugs and other close contact was a no no. I never did see Brenda but I did run into a family friend, Deni, who was out there cheering on her daughter who was doing the marathon.
The last part of the course is slightly downhill and that gave me just enough of a boost to sprint into the finish line. Final time: 2:45:50. Not my personal best for a half but it was my personal best for the Nike course. After I crossed the finish line I look to my left and who do I see? Phil! It took me 12.1 miles but I caught back up to him! We picked up our "Ran Like a Girl" shirts (the boy's shirts say that too) and Tiffany necklaces and headed to the TNT tent where they had mounds of food waiting. The food looked good but my tummy was not feeling it-- I think I drank too much water and not enough electrolyte on the course. Same thing happened after Disney and San Jose but this time I felt much worse. For Arizona I really need to work on my hydration so I don't end up feeling so nauseous at the end :(
Wow, Nike is one of the most beautiful courses but it kicks my butt every year! I get so used to what San Francisco looks like that I forget what an amazing city it is. Running through the streets of SF with people from all over the US made me look at the city through their eyes and realize how lucky we are to be able to run in the Bay Area on a regular basis! Nike takes you through so many picturesque areas: Union Square, the Embarcadero, Pier 39, Fisherman's Wharf, Fort Mason, Marina Green and Chrissy Field with gorgeous views of the Golden Gate Bridge smothered in fog. Then we leave the flat part of the course behind and we climb into the foggy hills of the Presidio, run above Baker Beach where I can hear the ocean but not see it, by the palatial homes of Sea Cliff (Robin Williams' included), down by the Cliff House and along Ocean Beach, up into Golden Gate Park with the Bison, "Chocolate Mile" and then finally to the finish line along the Ocean.
I started out running with Phil although he ditched me around mile 1 to pursue his PR. :( I felt really good until we got into the Presidio and the second, hilly section of the course. I ran up the short first hill but walked all the rest, which really feels more like a series of long, drawn out inclines. Karen and Rocky were out there providing support so seeing them gave me something to look forward to. I knew that Brenda was suppossed to be in Golden Gate Park somewhere so I spent those last miles looking for her and reminding myself that when I did see her, NOT to run up and give her a hug. :D Her Dr. gave her the okay to come out and cheer us on but since she recently had her stem cell transplant, hugs and other close contact was a no no. I never did see Brenda but I did run into a family friend, Deni, who was out there cheering on her daughter who was doing the marathon.
The last part of the course is slightly downhill and that gave me just enough of a boost to sprint into the finish line. Final time: 2:45:50. Not my personal best for a half but it was my personal best for the Nike course. After I crossed the finish line I look to my left and who do I see? Phil! It took me 12.1 miles but I caught back up to him! We picked up our "Ran Like a Girl" shirts (the boy's shirts say that too) and Tiffany necklaces and headed to the TNT tent where they had mounds of food waiting. The food looked good but my tummy was not feeling it-- I think I drank too much water and not enough electrolyte on the course. Same thing happened after Disney and San Jose but this time I felt much worse. For Arizona I really need to work on my hydration so I don't end up feeling so nauseous at the end :(
The sign outside Niketown, where we picked up our packets on Saturday afternoon.
They had the names of all the runners up on the windows outside Niketown.
Caroline (Lindsay's mom), Linds, Claudia, BK, me and Jeanette at the start.
View from the course of the runners and Golden Gate Bridge.
Water stop help from Karen, Rocky and Patch around mile 9.
I ran into Deni in Golden Gate Park around mile 12.5... that's the only reason I'm smiling!
TNT finisher's tent with Lael, Claudia and Lael's sister. 
Walking back to the car with our space blankets and Tiffany's bags :D
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