More Tweaks

As you can see from the new addition on my right sidebar, I've successfully been able to attach my Nike+ Mini-me to my blog! I've also removed my "last run" feature, because it already displays that info in the mini-me feature, as well as my running statistics and history. It still kind of blows my mind that I've run 800+ miles since I've gotten this system. It's amazing what the human body can accomplish.

But, while the statistics and animated mini-me are cute, I have to admit that the things coming out of her mouth can be a tad obnoxious and annoying. So please don't mind what she says because I'm not the one that programmed her to do that.

Mexican/Cuban Fried Rice

I love "work from home" days. I get to be relatively productive while the TV is on in the background. But, my favorite part is that I can play in the kitchen for lunch. Today I was unwilling to eat a bunch of yesterday's leftovers, so I decided to make a different meal from it. Here's what I came up with:

Ingredients
2 cups chicken stock (I used the leftover broth from yesterday)
5 stalks celery, minced
1 small yellow onion, minced
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 can of black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup of uncooked rice
1 cup of shredded cooked chicken (leftovers from yesterday)
pinch of Hawaiian Sea Salt
1 tablespoon of cumin
1/4 bunch of fresh thyme
1/4 cup of chopped cilantro

Saute the garlic, onions, and jalapenos in extra virgin olive oil on medium high heat. When the onions are translucent, toss in the chicken, salt, cumin, celery, and black beans. Stir fry for 5 minutes. Stir in rice. After rice has been coated with all ingredients, pour in the stock. Turn down the heat to medium and simmer covered for 15-20 minutes. Stir in cilantro before serving.

Mexican Tortilla Chicken Soup

I was cold...
So I made soup....Thanks Tyler Florence!

Mexican Tortilla Chicken Soup

Well, soup and chicken quesadillas, but the quesadillas don't make an exciting pic. As for the soup, don't ever underestimate the power of making your own chicken stock! Also, I baked the tortilla chips instead of frying them. They tend to hold up better in the soup.

Stay warm out there folks.

Tis the Season..

I've decided to take another approach to describe the events of what happened yesterday by modifying "The Night Before Christmas" by Clement Clark Moore.

Twas the day before monday, and all through the apartment
we were itching to hike, even though it was foggy;
We found a short route, close to SF,
not knowing St. Nicholas soon would be there;
We wrapped ourselves up all snug in our coats,
While visions of the Bay Area danced in our heads;
Raquel with the Nalgene, and I with the pack,
set out on Mussel Rock Trail to a paragliding camp,
When out on the cliff there arose such a clatter,
I sprinted towards the beach to see what was the matter.
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a little old paraglider, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.
He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,
And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot.
His eyes -- how they twinkled! His dimples how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
and the beard of his chin was as white as the snow.
He had a broad face and a little round belly,
That shook, when he laughed like a bowful of jelly.
He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself.
He jumped off the cliff, to his team gave a whistle,
and paraglided down like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him exclaim, as he drove out of sight,
"Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night".

It was definitely one of our more exciting hikes. I still have no idea how that paraglider manuevered the equipment with the entire costume, the fat suit, AND the hair/beard on. But then again, Santa is magic. So maybe he is just getting some relaxation time before the big night. That's my kind of Santa.

Thanksgiving Vegetarian Loco Moco

This morning, Raquel and I woke up completely sore and beat up from our Thanksgiving workouts. Apparently, Raquel biked 18 miles and I hiked a collective 12 miles over the weekend. So we were looking for a little treat for breakfast, when Raquel had an ingenious idea to make a unique loco moco. She suggested that we use the Mashed Potato Polpetti and gravy from the Thanksgiving leftovers. Then, fry up some sunny-side up eggs to assemble the loco moco. I'm sure that meal completely negated our workouts, but it was sooo worth it.

Thanksgiving Leftovers

I watch, by far, way too much Food Network. If I'm sitting at home and fiddling with my computer, Food Network will always be on in the background. But, I think it's totally worth it and came in handy today. One of my favorite Food Network Chefs is Michael Chiarello, who specializes in Napa style cooking. So tonight's dinner was inspired by Michael Chiarello and last night's recycled dinner.

Turkey Soup

Mashed Potato Polpetti

(this was similar to croquettes)

I think it came out great, and completely trumps turkey sandwiches. It's also very nutritious and low in fat, so it's perfect for training. Here's to a low in guilt Thanksgiving.

The Day after Thanksgiving

This morning I woke up completely bleary-eyed and still tired, it was almost like being hungover. But, last night I only had 2 glasses of wine. So now I'm convinced that I was suffering from a turkey hangover; way too much of a good thing. I have to admit that a full Thanksgiving dinner somewhat deters me from recovering my old running skill. Thus, it's double workout day. At least Thanksgiving dinner is nutritous and as I have said before, I can still use it as a starting block for a run.

I set out for a 5 mile hike after a meager breakfast of warm pita bread, cucumber salad, yogurt sauce, and coffee. There is a wildlife preserve nearby that I was itching to explore. And as an added bonus, today was perfect autumn hiking weather. But, as I started hiking I realized that I forgot to charge my trusty iPod, which forced me to hike the old-fashioned way (sans music).

So what did I notice? I felt the cold, crisp, blustery fall wind. I heard my labored breathing, random forest noises, and other people's conversations about their crazy cousins stealing their best Thanksgiving dinner recipes. I smelled the rich, earthy, bruised vegetation that got even stronger when I crushed leaves with each step (Raquel likes to refer to that scent as the natural Pottery Barn). It literally felt like I was a living, breathing Nature Valley commercial.

And while that felt amazing, I somehow managed to freak myself out around mile 3, because I was hiking alone in the wilderness. "What if I get lost?" "Have I watched enough survival shows to survive on my own if I get hurt?" "What do I do if a mountain lion attacks me?" "It feels like I might stumble upon the 'Pit of Despair' (7:18) from Princess Bride". Therefore, the next time I decide to go hiking, I think I'll take a buddy.

Thankfully, I made it home safely with just enough time to eat a hearty, yet sensible supper of leftover turkey soup, before I headed back out to the gym. My guilt meter has definitely been lowered after today's hike, treadmill run, and strength training. But, I'm sure that my body will still hate me tomorrow morning.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Last night was the first time I've ever cooked the entire Thanksgiving meal. Lordie, that was a lot of hard work. I actually ended up cooking part of the "Thanksgiving with a twist" menu from Food Network. Thankfully, it turned out great and my friends were really happy and well fed. In the end, that's all I really want. Here's a glimpse of the menu.

Turkey with Herbs de Provence and Citrus

Spice Parmesan Green Beans and Kale

Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Maple Cinnamon Sage Brown Butter

(I have to say that making all the gnocchi from scratch took FOREVER)

Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Chocolate Hazelnut Pie w/ Coffee Ice Cream

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Blackened Tilapia, Sauteed Baby Spinach, Blanched Broccoli, and Wasabi Mashed Potatoes

I'm seriously getting excited about Thanksgiving, especially since I'm hosting it this year and am planning a fancy menu. But, I wanted to eat lighter and healthier to balance out Turkey Day dinner. So last night, I ended up cooking Blackened Tilapia, Sauteed Baby Spinach, Blanched Broccoli, and Wasabi Mashed Potatoes. I must say that this meal was perfect for a light bite.

Blackened Tilapia
Ingredients:
-1/2 tsp chili powder
-1/2 tsp paprika
-1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
-1/2 tsp. white pepper
-2 pinches of Hawaiian Sea Salt
-2 Tilapia filets

Mix the top 5 ingredients together to create a dry rub. Season both sides of the Tilapia filets and pan fry the fish on medium high in extra virgin olive oil for 3-4 minutes per side.

Wasabi Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients:
-3 Tbsp. wasabi
-2 lbs. new white potatoes (peeled and quartered)
-a splash of buttermilk
-2 Tbsp. sour cream
-1 Tbsp. "I can't believe it's not Butter"
-Hawaiian Sea Salt and pepper to taste

Boil the potatoes for 10-15 minutes. Drain. Mash with the rest of the ingredients.

Unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture of dinner. But don't worry, I won't forget to take a picture of Thanksgiving Dinner.

The First Step

As I mentioned in my last post, I've been taking an extended running break. And I still stand by the viewpoint, that every runner needs to take a break once in a while between training. But, that doesn't mean a break comes without a price. If you don't maintain some level of fitness during the break, you can't expect to jump back to the same level of running easily. In fact, that could be downright painful and you'd have to start all over again. So, did all of the surfing, hiking, and climbing during my break help with the maintenance? Sort of...

Last night was my first training run for the winter. I can honestly say that it wasn't as painful as it could have been, but my body was dreading it with all the recalcitrance it could muster. For some reason, my feet felt like 10 pound lead weights for the first mile. That's when you supposedly have to buckle down and focus on your motivation points. But really, I tried my best to zone out and get through it, kind of like giving blood or getting an immunization. On the other hand, while I may not have had a great run, my body did feel amazing afterwards. My skin was tingling, my heart was racing, and I was completely out of breath. And it felt like my body had gone through some sort of awakening from hibernation.

No matter what, starting over at the beginning is going to be hard for anything, especially when I've already reached a certain level. But, I'm going to have to start somewhere and the sooner I take that first step, the sooner I can get back to where I want to be. It's just a good thing my lazy ass has a backup plan, aka...Raquel nagging me every 10 minutes to go for a run that I said I'd do, but would allow myself to get deterred by a House marathon.

I'm back!

Apologies all around for my absence, folks. It's been a very busy couple of weeks: finishing one of my projects at work, moving offices, and taking a nice long vacation with Raquel. But, don't think that I've been lazing around and giving up on workouts just because life is busy. While home in Hawaii, I did manage to either do a hike, snorkel, or surf every day. Sadly, none of those workouts involved running unless you count running through the mall to buy macadamia nut chocolates. Thus, I've luxuriated in a three-week vacation from running.

Now, I wish I could say that I've enjoyed this vacation without any regrets or guilt. But this vacation included my mom, and she has a knack for guilting me into feeling that I'm not living up to my potential. I am, by no means, criticizing my mom for being overly critical of me. Because I know that there is no one else in this world who can push me beyond my limits (in a good way) like her, except for myself. However, her delivery could use some work. Telling me that I've gained all my weight back, and that my fashion style has become masculine due to that weight gain is not very nice, although effective. Incidentally folks, taking a break between races is ok. It gives your body a chance for some well-deserved, much-needed rest.

Anyway, it's back to training for me, especially to counteract the holiday meal effects. Now, I know that I've explained my motivation to run before. But, I think it's a good exercise to revisit and expand on those reasons. I'm running because I want to live long enough to enjoy life with my future wife and kids. I'm running because I want to one day inspire my kids to try hard to accomplish their goals. I'm running because after a good workout, life magically becomes more manageable. But most of all, I'm running for myself; not to please other people, like my mom. To me, running is a sport that is just between you and the road. And the only thing that should ever be between you and the road is a pair of socks and running shoes.

Page 56

Sorry gang, I think I've been a bit absent from my blog lately. It's because I haven't had that many inspiring runs or taken any pictures of the food I've cooked. So here's my fun, random post of the day inspired by Sidewalk Monkey's last post.

Here are the rules:
* Grab the nearest book.
* Open the book to page 56.
* Find the fifth sentence.
* Post the text of the next sentence in your blog along with these instructions.
* Don’t dig for your favorite book, the cool book, or the intellectual one: pick the CLOSEST.

Here's mine:
"If the command is 'done', the code does a break to terminate the loop". --Chris Spear, System Verilog for Verification, 2006.

That sounded poetic, right? In a nerdy sort of way? Maybe? Shucks, I wish I was at home when I posted this entry, because I actually do have an interesting book that I'm reading there instead of my geeky one at work.

P.S. Thanks for giving both of us the idea, May!

Runners are gassy

I've had my annoying share of gym faux pas committed to me during treadmill days: sweat flung on me and intensive BO emanating from my neighbor. But last night's incident, while still gross, was inevitable. After taking a week of break after the SJ Half Marathon, I dragged my butt back to the gym to start over from the basics. The plan was to run an easy 5K to stretch my legs and reawaken my stubborn drive to succeed in endurance sports. So naturally, the day that I decided to jump back on the bandwagon was the day that the gym became ridiculously packed.

After waiting for 15 minutes, I finally finagled a free treadmill by staring the last runner down. And excited with my acquisition, I hopped on without noting what kind of treadmill neighbor I had. However, his presence soon waved it's ugly head at me during my second mile, when he started passing gas. I have no idea what that man had for dinner, but it was darn potent. Now, I'm not going to get mad at the guy because sometimes that isn't something you can control. But, usually I'll only have to endure the torture for just a minute or two. I could smell this guy's gas for half a mile of running! Thankfully, he was finished with his run when I was at mile 2.5. Unfortunately, that's when the man on the other side of me started with his gaseous performance until I finished my run.

I must say that despite feeling like I was running through a sewer plant, that was one of the best runs I've had in a while. In fact, I think I mangaged to hit a "runner's high" moment for myself, because I felt like my legs could go on forever and I physically felt like I was floating. I love it when this happens, especially because it's rather rare for me. Yippie! Although, I have absolutely no suggestions on how to overcome the gassy neighbor obstacle. If there aren't any other free treadmills, I don't know what to do. But, I'm open to suggestions.

Game Face

Yesterday I just received the pictures taken of me during the SJ Rock and Roll Half Marathon. I must say that I'm a lot happier with these photos than I was with the SF Half Marathon. Why? Well, because I don't look constipated in these photos like I do in the last ones. But more specifically, it allowed me an opportunity to see a snapshot of my running form/technique.

In these photos, I've managed to relax my shoulders and upper body while running, which is something that I've been consciously trying to improve for my form. I know it sounds backwards, but many elite athletes try to be zen and relaxed while they are competing. It not only improves performance, but also is more efficient for your body. And I know I sound like an obsessed little fan girl right now, but Michael Phelps is a master at relaxing while competing and look where that got him. In any case, even though I'm not trying to be an elite athlete, I would still like to be performing at my best and have minimal pain after a workout.

These pictures show that I am truly "running tall" towards the finish line as opposed to my SF Marathon photos where my shoulders were scrunched up to my cheeks. I'll take this small victory as the one saving grace from this race. Now all I have to do is work on my game face, because I think I look a little too angry.

Recipe of the Day: Thai Pumpkin Curry

One of Raquel's favorite thai restaurants is Osha Thai Restaurant in San Francisco. And tonight's dinner was inspired by our favorite dish there: Thai Kabocha Pumpkin Curry. I ended up searching the internet and modifying this Thai Red Curry recipe. Now, I've never cooked with Kabocha Pumpkin before. So as I was preparing it, it felt like doing battle with a brick! Here's a tip I found elsewhere that will help in the preparation: Before cutting the pumpkin, place the whole pumpkin in 1/2 an inch of boiling water for about 5-10 minutes. Then, you can cut it up after it has cooled.

Here are the modifications I made for this particular recipe:

-use light (reduced fat) coconut milk
-use low sodium chicken broth
-I ended up using chicken instead of shrimp, but that's just cause I didn't have any shrimp
-add bamboo, and sliced red bell pepper instead of tomatoes and frozen peas
-add a handful of fresh basil
-add garlic to season the chicken (saute the chicken before you start the curry, and set it aside till the end)
-serve it over brown rice instead of white rice

Raquel loved my recreation of Osha's dish, and I thought it was tasty too. In my opinion, I don't think it's to their level of yummy goodness, but at least I don't feel as guilty when I eat it.

Recipe of the Day: Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies

Last week I had to take a sick day because of a massive headache. I'm not sure what caused it, but I've never been able to sit still when I'm sick at home. So, I ended up baking a healthier version of Food Network's Chocolate Chip Cookies. How is it healthy? Well, you've got to know the tips for healthy baking. For this batch, here's what I substituted:

-add roasted pecans for healthy protein.

-use dark chocolate chips instead of semi-sweet chocolate (dark chocolate is better for you as far as sweets go)

-use half the amount of regular flour and substitute whole wheat flour for the rest of it.

-use "I can't believe it's not butter" instead of real butter

As you can see, the color turns out darker than it normally does, but I can assure you that it tastes just as good. Give it a shot!

San Jose Rock and Roll Half Marathon Race Review

After the San Francisco Half Marathon that I finished two months ago, I wanted to focus on getting a better finishing time in yesterday's San Jose Rock and Roll Half Marathon. Unfortunately, I can't say that my intended plan worked. My atrocious finishing time for the SF race can be attritbuted to my lack of proper training. I had only been completing my usual minimal running routine, without building up on distance. So after that fiasco, did I turn things around? Truthfully, no. Yet again, I let the excuses pile up: my birthday, Reno Ribs Fest, a climbing trip, etc. and I never made it a priority to fit in my long runs. So, not only did I not beat my finish time for the SF race, I made it worse:

SF Half Marathon (8/03/08) - 3:18:02
SJ Half Marathon (10/05/08) - 3:25:45

I think I'm mildly depressed now and it's all my fault. Finishing a race like that always gives me a rush and a huge sense of accomplishment. But this time when I crossed the finish line, I couldn't help but feel a big let-down. The only thing that I proved to myself was how bad my time can be when I attempt to run a race out of shape and ill-prepared. Not to mention that my body is in a world of pain that I've never felt before now. I think it's time to retreat and let my wounds heal before I attempt another race. I've always thought of myself as a positive person, so I'm determined to start over with the basics and remember why I loved to push myself this hard. But for now, I'm feeling the full force of my own disappointment.

There are good races and bad races for every runner. Obviously this was a bad one for me, but I didn't want to let this one go without a review. So here are my highlights:

Highlights:

• I finally got one of my friends, Victor, to run a race with me. However, Victor has been a serious cross country runner since highschool, and he took off. Also, with the way the course is laid out (double-backs on itself), you can see people on their way back to the finish line. So I caught up with Victor when I was at mile 6, while it was his mile 11. As I saw him waving and cheering me on at that intersection, I wanted nothing more than to kick him in the ass for being so fast. Oops, I mean cheer him on all the way to the finish. Yeah, that's what I meant...
• The world-famous Kenyans ran this race! I had the pleasure of seeing them charging towards the finish while I was maybe on mile 5 or so. Gilbert Okari's finish time: 1:01:46.
• I also got to see the winning female from Japan whiz by me. Yuri Kano's finish time: 1:10:03.
• The race course was flat. That was a refreshing reprieve from all the hills in SF.
• There was a live rock band performing at every other mile.
• I saw these two women runners, dressed in silver sequins, stop at every stage and dance around like disco balls. Obviously, they had a blast.

Alright folks, that's my recap. FYI, my next race will probably be next year, but I haven't decided yet.

Wick Away

Last night I was unfortunately stuck running in the gym again instead of outside. Now, I've never really had a problem treadmill running before, especially if something is good on TV. But, it really doesn't beat running on a trail and smelling the newly blooming summer blossoms. And considering last night's incident, I'm overdue for a nice outdoor peaceful run.

Upon arriving at the gym, I found only one treadmill available. So I immediately hopped on even though it was between two very big, potentially smelly men. I just didn't want to wait another half an hour to get my workout started. For the first mile or so, I didn't have any complaints because my running neighbors seemed to be taking it easy. But, halfway into the second mile I started to smell a peculiar odor coming from my left. And on top of that, I began to feel little specks of wetness landing on me from the same direction. Ok folks, body odor is one thing, but when my running neighbor starts sweating so profusely that he starts sprinkling on me with every step that's crossing the line! He invaded the sanctity of my treadmill bubble.

Luckily, I behaved myself and even finished a three mile run before giving up and going home. For that feat alone, I would like to be rewarded with many brownie points and universal good karma. I think I was so traumatized afterwards, that I scrubbed extra hard during my shower. Shouldn't there be gym-going etiquette included with every membership packet? Wear deodarant or wick-away clothes that absorb your sweat as a courtesy to the runner next to you! Alright, I'm done with my rant. Maybe I'm over-reacting. There are some sports where people pay to be sweated on by other people, like Bikram Yoga. So I apologize if I come off as judgemental. It's just my reaction to being grossed-out. It could've been worse, he could've been gassy too.

Cause I would walk 500 (thousand) miles...

As some of you may have noticed, my latest goal bar over the last few weeks has been empty since I put it up. It's not really because I've been slacking in my running (although, I sort of have been), it's because I haven't uploaded any of my recent runs to the Nike+ system. Well, that's about to change because I just found a new form of motivation. Instead of prescribing my own running goals, I'm going to enter free Nike+ challenges that are hosted by Nike.

This particular one is the Nike+ Marathon Charity Challenge. The big-wigs are slated to donate up to $100,000 to the Children's Memorial Hospital and the Imerman Angels. But, that total amount only gets sent pending on Nike+ runners hitting 500,000 miles by 10/12/08. Now that's pressure. I think that's a great cause to be running for and I can't think of better motivation to run than helping out a sick child. If any of you out there on the internet have the Nike+ system, please consider jumping on this bandwagon, especially if you're going to go out and run anyway. Stay tuned to the Latest Goal Bar over the next couple of weeks to monitor our collective effort.

Recipe of the Day: Zippy's Chili

So for the last couple of days I've found myself pretty homesick for Hawaii's Zippy's Chili. But, what am I going to do when I'm about 2000 miles away from home, unwilling to eat the frozen stuff, and in need of a healthier version of it for training? Well, I went online and found a Zippy's style chili and modified it to my needs. As you can see, it turned out pretty close to the original chili! And after inhaling a bowl full of it over brown rice, I can attest that it tastes extremely close to the original as well. Give it a try!

Here's the base recipe that I modified: Zippy's style chili.

And here are my modifications:
-No MSG
-4x the amount of vegetables listed
-No chili beans to leave more space for the increase in vegetables
-use 93/7 beef. After the beef is browned, drain the rest of the 7% fat out so that you're just left with 100% beef.
-substitute cajun sausage for portugese sausage. I only did this because I didn't have time to run to 99 Ranch market to get portugese sausage.
-No ketchup
-use 2x as much ginger. I just did this because ginger is good for you.

Thank you AlohaWorld for being a fabulous source of local recipes for this homesick girl!

I'm old and lucky

Jog In Ocean is going to take a little detour today to do some celebrating. Today is my birthday. Now, I normally hate a big hullaballoo made about myself. But, I'm lucky enough to have a girlfriend who can cater a whole weekend involving things I like to do while everyone else is having fun in the process.

Before I get into that though, one of my dearest friends has decided to interview me today. So have a gander at my interview. Thanks May for making me feel like a special celebrity!

Now, on to the festivities...The weekend started off with dinner and drinks with a bunch of my closest friends currently in the Bay area. Dinner was a smattering of Hawaiian food and brightly colored drinks at the Hukilau in San Jose. Then, we wandered over to Hunter's to have some more drinks and unexpectedly watched a bachelor/bachelorette auction for charity there. Raquel and I didn't buy anyone, but we seriously considered certain muscular men to clean our house. I love drinks with entertainment.

On Saturday, she took me to an amazing breakfast at Los Gatos Cafe. This is a place that is known for their Omelette Souffles. I had the Crab one, and it was amazing. They had whole chunks of real crab and the hollandaise sauce was perfect. They also came with sides from the bakery: Kahlua Pound Cake (amazing) and a Peanut Butter Chocolate Muffin (just the right amount of peanut butter). Even Raquel loved this breakfast, and that's saying a lot because she doesn't like breakfast foods. Then, we went to go work some of that food off on the lake next door at Vasona Park by paddle-boating. As expected, Raquel got tired after a bit and I ended up peddling us around the lake, but it was still a lovely afternoon.

On Sunday, Raquel took us on an excursion to Monterey Bay. We drove down and explored the town, watched the locals, and wandered around Monterey Bay Aquarium. Now, as you can tell from my username, I LOVE surfing and the ocean. Any time I get to be near the water and learn about it's creatures, I'm going to be giddy. I must say that I was pretty impressed with their aquarium, but I haven't seen Maui's aquarium yet either. Finally, we ended the day with an amazing place that we found on Yelp: Monterey's Fish House. Now, if I yelped I would've given this place 5 stars. It was outstanding. If you ever find yourself in Monterey, you should definitely go here, but go early because it gets packed late at night.

Alright folks, that was my weekend. I'm extremely happy, well-fed, and pooped. Raquel even gave me enough time to go for a little run, so I at least got 4 miles in. Thank you Raquel, I had a wonderful time.

Recipe of the Day: Koto Kapama and Quinoa

After our little race, I was searching around for a good post-race meal to refuel us for another week of training. I have to say that Runner's World has never failed me. Koto Kapama is a greek cinnamon chicken dish, and this particular version was created by one of my role models, Iron Chef Cat Cora. Essentially, it's stewed cinnamon chicken and onions in a greek tomato sauce. I loved the flavors so much, that I doubt I'll only be eating this after a run.

Chef Cora recommended that it be served with quinoa. Ok, move over brown rice and whole wheat..Farro and Quinoa are definitely my new favorite grains. If you haven't tried it, try it! I also had an arugula salad (not pictured) with Tyler Florence's ultimate vinaigrette, as another shout-out to the Arugula Gap.

Quinoa Pilaf
Ingredients:
1.5 cups Quinoa (rinsed)
a handful of pine nuts
1 tsp of chopped fresh dill
a handful of sliced grape tomatoes
3 cups low-sodium chicken broth

Boil the quinoa in the chicken broth on medium high for about 15 minutes, until all of the liquid is absorbed. Toss in nuts, dill, and tomatoes. Stir and serve.

Recipe of the Day: Blackened Chicken Pasta

In anticipation for the increased running and race that I did last week, I was definitely in the mood for some carbs. So I sort of invented this dish on the spot. It's actually inspired by this cajun restaurant in Palo Alto, called Nola's, which Raquel loves. They make an amazing Cajun Chicken Pasta that has just the right balance between creamy and spicy. And while we love to frequent this place, I'm sure this particular dish is loaded with fat and bad calories. So, here's my version. I think it was a reasonable facsimile and at least I don't feel as guilty. Try it out!

Ingredients:
For the Chicken:
Chicken
Keawe rock salt /pepper
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
extra virgin olive oil

For the Pasta:
about a pound of pasta (your choice)
couple cloves of minced garlic
1 sweet onion, roughly chopped
1 bag of frozen peas
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3 cups heavy cream (I actually used light cream)
Hawaiian Sea Salt and pepper to taste

For the Chicken:
Pre-heat the grill to medium high. Season the chicken with the spice rub and olive oil. Grill for about 5 minutes per side. Set aside to rest for a few minutes, then slice.

For the Pasta:
Cook the pasta and set aside. Saute garlic for a minute. Throw in peas and onion and cook till onion is caramelized. Turn up the heat and pour in the cream. Add in the sliced chicken. Simmer the sauce until it has reduced to the consistency of your liking. When the sauce is done, turn off the stove and stir in the cheese, pasta, salt, and pepper.

Running with the Pack

Last friday was my first attempt to run with Raquel during a race. We both decided to start small with a 5K. It wasn't just any 5K though, this one had a theme. It was the Palo Alto Moonlight 5K. The course was on a trail through little lakes and reservoirs, and was only lit by the full moon. Isn't that a romantic and original concept? I can honestly say that I've never done a night run like that before. They recommended that we wear head lamps and hold flashlights, but I didn't bring anything thinking that my eyesight was sufficient and I'd try to keep up with Raquel, who was wearing a head lamp. Also, I invited my friends, Nat and Kimi, as additional reinforcements because there is safety in numbers.

My strategy was to let Nat and Kimi shoot ahead and play a game of chase with them for the whole race. That didn't quite go as planned. In the beginning, I decided to weave my way through the crowd and try to break free with Raquel valiantly keeping up and giving me some light. We had a good pace going for about 1.5 miles. But at that 1.5 mile marker, all of a sudden I felt the consequences of my early exertions and I ended up walking. I think I let my negative thoughts get the best of me: "Oh man.. I can't keep up this pace with Raquel." "My legs are feeling like lead, I've never done this pace before." "If I keep running at this speed, I might break an ankle because I can't really see the dirt trail, even with Raquel's light.". And like the loyal girlfriend that she is, Raquel stayed with me the whole time even though I know she had the energy to run farther. In the end, I mangaged a walk/run method after Nat and Kimi eventually caught up to us. We all finished the race together, but with a really slow time.

Afterwards, I asked Raquel how she felt about our joint run. And she told me that she was ridiculously tired when I stopped to walk, so it was a good thing that I slowed down. But, I know her better, that's her version of cheering me up. She also said that I seemed more self-conscious about my appearance when she was next to me. For example, she thought I was worried about my sweat, my hair being out of place, and that I didn't look cute. Now, I know that I definitely wasn't worried about that, so I'm trying to figure out if she was transferring some of her worries on to me.

Overall, I still prefer running solo over running with friends. But, I don't think that I dread pack running as much as I did before. I'm going to need a few more practice runs with Raquel to get used to her pace and presence. Next time, I'll have to apply some positive mantras to balance the negative thoughts. Apparently, I'll also have to remember to wear my cuter running clothes and to style my hair.

Congratulations Raquel!

This past weekend, Raquel and I went to Ojai, CA (7 hours south) for a climbing competition. It involved driving on dangerous mountain roads at night (pitch black), camping in the middle of nowhere (no campsite amenities), and riding on a rickety old school bus going 9 miles up the mountain without a guardrail on the road. To say the least, it was mildly traumatic and scary for me. But, I must say that it's also exhilirating watching these talented athletes climb a 15-foot, sometimes 30-foot, boulder without any ropes.

I'm very glad that I only went as a spectator, even though Raquel was trying to get me to compete. I was clearly out of my league, plus there were no ambulances close by. If you fall, the only thing you have to catch you is the twin-size crash pad mattress that you bring. Also, your spotter is in charge of guiding you to the crash pad. Although, it's not uncommon to entirely miss the pad and break something. So you can imagine my apprehension about trying it.

Even though, it wasn't a very productive climbing weekend for me, it was for Raquel. She ended up placing third in her division! To say that I'm proud is an understatement. I estimated about 15 competitors in her division, and many of them were seasoned climbers. I've always been fascinated with watching her climb, because to me it's like watching Michael Phelps swim. She's so comfortable, graceful, and confident on the rock. Plus, the happy dance she does post-climb is cuter than a football player doing his touchdown victory dance.

Anyway, it makes me wonder if she's ever seen me evoke that kind of emotion and superhuman ability when I run or surf. Probably not. But, she's always inspiring me to strive for it. Congratulations Raquel!

Recipe of the Day: Grilled Tequila Lime Pork Loin and Grilled Eggplant Farro Salad

Grilled Eggplant Farro Salad

Tequila Lime Pork Loin

I've finally figured out how to take better close-up pics of my food, thanks to my Pudding Buddy. She mentioned that I may not be using the macro setting correctly, and lo and behold, my photos are magically better. Anyway, I was inspired by last friday's lunch to do something fun w/ Farro. And thanks to Bobby Flay, I attempted to recreate his Farro Salad. I must admit that is one tasty salad. Try it! The sherry vinaigrette that goes on top added a tarty/tangy taste to the nutty grain. It's making me such a huge fan of farro.

The Tequila Lime Pork Loin was Raquel's idea, inspired by the Reno-Rib Cookoff, specifically our favorite vendor: Kinder's. Their ribs were so tasty and "fall right off the bone", that we had to buy one of their rubs: the tequila lime rub. I ended up seasoning the pork with that rub, extra virgin olive oil, a touch of hawaiian salt, and pepper. Then, threw it on the grill for about 6 minutes per side. All I have to say is this is now one of my favorite meals. The flavor of the pork was outstanding, and the meat was so juicy and tender. I love my grill.

Meal of the Day: Rustica Salad and Farro

Inspired by Sidewalk Monkey's last post, I went out in search of a good salad for lunch. As I was driving down the street from my office, I spotted a very cute Italian Grocery store with a deli in the back. They happened to have exactly the kind of thing I was looking for.

-Rustica Salad: Mixed greens (which included Arugula), fresh mozarella, juicy cherry tomatoes, kalamata olives, and pepperocinis tossed in a light red wine vinaigrette.
-Farro with Fava Beans tossed in it's own light vinaigrette.

This is why I have to start carrying my camera. The meal was beautiful and extremely flavorful. And it has left me feeling energetic, refreshed, and healthy. How's that for a political statement?

Will you be my friend?

It has occurred to me that I tend to play more solo sports, primarily because it's my alone time but also because I would prefer that my friends didn't see me sweat and grunt in pain. However, I've had to change that tendency after getting attached to a girlfriend who primarily plays team and social sports, such as volleyball and climbing. Being a social person myself, I've found it refreshing to have my two worlds collide; participating in good conversation seems to be wonderful distraction from physical pain. So now I'm on a mission to expand our sports circle, particularly our climbing one. Unfortunately, this has proven to be a more difficult task than I originally thought.

Raquel and I have decided we'd like to befriend a group of women who frequent our climbing gym at least twice a week. Occasionally, they bring their husbands along, but for the most part they seem to climb with just each other. After several attempts to engage them in conversation, and instead receiving a cold brush-off, I've given up. Even our "divide and conquer" method didn't work. Undeterred, we set our sights on two new girls, who were admiring Raquel's climbing form last night. Using that as an opening, I tried to start small talk with them, but they ended up wandering off. What is wrong with us? Do we smell? Is there spinach between our teeth? Have we forgotten how to make friends?

I've begun to think about how making friends has evolved a lot over the years for me. When I was in kindergarten, I met my best friend when she introduced herself by the swings. I vaguely remember that my return gesture was to offer her some of my recess snack, which I think was pudding or popcorn (I'm sure she doesn't remember any of this). Those were simpler times, when making friends invoked the barter system, whether it would be a trade in food or protection from the bully. As I grew older, I found that finding a friend became more complicated and involved making a deeper connection through ideas, life experience, or personality.

The best way for me to discover that deeper connection is through small talk, which leads to joking, which leads to an invitation to continue the conversation over another activity (probably coffee). To me, it's pretty much like dating. And in the case of my recent encounters with climbers at our gym, we keep striking out. Well, I'm nothing if not persistent and Raquel and I plan to woo other bay area climbers at the Pine Mountain Bouldering Competition this weekend. Since we'll be camping there all weekend, we do run the risk of smelling, so I did pack soap. Anyway, if that event doesn't work out, we're going back to trying to make friends at the gym again. Perhaps next time I should bring pudding.

Reno Ribs Fest!

I feel like a very bad marathon runner. BAD ME! While most fall marathon trainees did their last long runs this past weekend (probably about 10 miles), I went to gorge myself on ribs for two days. Honestly, I wouldn't feel as guilty if I had actually gotten a long run in on friday. But, did I even do that? No, not unless you count a 5-mile run as a long run.

Crikey, I'm behind. Oh well, it was worth it. I wouldn't have traded in this weekend of fun and food with some of my closest friends for a solitary long run. I'll make up for it this week. That's just the way I roll when it comes to balancing training and life.

Recipe of the Day: Grilled Eggplant/Chicken Pesto Pizza

After a long weekend of munching on Ribs at the Reno Ribs Fest, I came home wanting to eat anything else but red meat. Luckily, I had something fast and non-meaty in my cooking repertoire for my very tired road companions. And I must say that after sitting in traffic for 6.5 hours, this really hit the spot. I'd also like to note that I generally really don't like pizza. So, it's saying a lot when I actually crave this.

Ingredients:
-Pre-made pizza dough (next time I'll try the whole wheat one to be healthier)
-chicken breast
-2 bell peppers
-1 large italian eggplant (sliced)
-3 cups shredded low-fat mozzarella
-Hawaiian sea salt
-Kiawe flavored hawaiian sea salt
-pepper

Pesto sauce:
-2 handfuls of basil
-1 handful of pine nuts
-2 cloves of garlic
-hawaiian sea salt/pepper to taste
-1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil (maybe less)

For Pesto:
Throw in all ingredients into food processor and grind.

For Pizza:
Pre-heat the grill to high. Season the chicken breast, bell pepper, and eggplant (1/4 in. slices) with salt (use the Kiawe one for the chicken), pepper, and olive oil. Grill the eggplant and bell pepper for about 3 minutes per side, until the eggplant is tender and you have nice grill marks. Slice the peppers the eggplant to slivers. Grill the chicken for about 5 minutes per side, then grill on medium for another 3-4 minutes, until the juices run clear. Slice the chicken. Turn the grill back to high and toast the dough for about a minute. Spread pesto and cheese on pizza. Then, add your toppings. (try not to pile it too high, because it cooks fast on the grill) Put back on the grill (the upper rack) for 3-4 minutes, until the cheese has melted. Enjoy!

Recipe of the Day: Cornmeal-Crusted Mango Salmon

Here's my innaugural foodie post: Cornmeal-Crusted Mango Salmon. Tonight's dinner was thanks to Food Network's Sunny Anderson. I didn't use any butter though and probably half the olive oil than what was in the recipe. Essentially what you're looking at is center-cut salmon, with a mango glaze and cornmeal crust. It's topped with leftover mango glaze and fresh mango. I'll have to admit that it didn't taste as sweet as I thought it would, but that's because I'm used to sweeter mangos from Hawaii. Still pretty tasty though! Give it a try!

BTW, the side salad in the background was made up of:

-mixed greens

-mint leaves

-grape tomatoes

-low fat cottage cheese

-garbanzo beans

Training Benefits from this meal:

-beans, cottage cheese, and salmon are good protein for post-workout recovery

-mixed greens prevents muscle damage in hard workouts

Alrighty, that's all I got for tonight. Happy Eating!

Bring It On

So to be honest, when Raquel voiced her interest in training with me for the next marathon I admit that I was a bit apprehensive. Now, I'm sure most runners would scoff at my hesitation, because they would love their significant others to show the same enthusiasm for their passion. Well, don't get me wrong because I certainly am excited that we may have another activity to share together. But, running has always been a solo activity for me. It's my mechanism for escaping the world; where I temporarily only have to worry about myself. Batman has the Batcave, Superman has the Fortress of Solitude, and I have running.

In addition, I feel like we have imaginary lines drawn to designate separate areas of expertise between us. For instance:

Surfrunner: music / Raquel: sports
Surfrunner: cooking for a big crowd / Raquel: cooking for two
Surfrunner: driving / Raquel: fixing the car
Surfrunner: surfing, running / Raquel: climbing, volleyball

Anyway, I'm sure you see my point. I'm not saying that we can never venture into the other person's world, because we each are more than happy to share. But, I wasn't ready to transform my demarcated Running territory into a union of our Venn Diagram.

Then again, Batman did allow other people into the Batcave, like Robin and Alfred, his butler. So I'm willing to give it a try and keep an open mind. We haven't started running together yet, but I am gearing her, as well as myself, up for a joint run relatively soon. As expected, it's taking her less time to ramp up to my current running level than I originally needed. In any case, there is nothing like a little healthy competition to give my training a boost, right? What do you think Internet? Am I being weirdly territorial about running or have you folks felt something similar?

Introducing Chef Surfrunner..

It's time for "Jog in Ocean" to undergo some re-designing. I'm not talking about a facelift to the page, I mean I want to modify the purpose of this blog. Per Mayumi's suggestion, I'd like to start blogging about some of my culinary adventures as a foodie. And per Sidewalk Monkey's suggestion, I will be occasionally taking pictures of my creations and posting them. This doesn't mean I'll stop chronicling about my training/technique. On the contrary, I think this gives you folks a better grasp of how I train because food/nutrition is a big part of the regiment.

I also want to quell the myth of having to sacrifice good food as a part of marathon training. It doesn't have to be a boring diet, and you'll see once I start posting about my meals. For those of you who are unfamiliar with my own cooking background, I've been dabbling around with it since college. But, my interest really started to take-off when I graduated, moved to the bay area, and started hosting a lot of dinners.

In the beginning, I was always inspired by that old "Ready, Set, Cook" show, which was a pre-cursor to Iron Chef, but not as elaborate. In other words, I hated recipes and made up my own stuff. But now, I think I've come to a happy medium where I'll use a recipe as a guideline, then add my own twist. And as far as cuisine goes, I'll tend to cook food from any region as long as it's relatively healthy and the ingredients are fresh. But, here are some sample cuisines I've worked with: Vietnamese, Thai, Chinese, Pacific Rim, Cajun, Mediterranean, Morrocan, Irish, and Californian (yes, this is a genre, just check Yelp).

In any case, this change also comes just in time for the Reno Rib Fest that a bunch of us will be attending this weekend. Stay tuned for food pics from that as well as whatever I cook this week*!

*This is usually dependant on whatever Raquel is craving, because even though I'm the chef, she's the eater. What a hard job...

Huzzah!!

Check out the bright, shiny, "Congratulations" under my "Running Goal" application on the right sidebar. Yesterday, I finally ran the last 4 miles needed for my accummulated 50 miles in 4 weeks goal. As of late, I've been failing every running goal I set for the last 3 months. So, this accomplishment feels very sweet and, at the same time, long overdue. FINALLY!

I can't describe the little giddy feeling I get every time I've successfully completed a running goal. The closest thing I can think of is getting an A on a project that I've worked really hard on. But, even that case is different because there are consequences to flunking a class. The only thing I get from missing a running goal is a long session of self-berating. Yet, since it was a personal goal that I've set, it feels more important to me than a goal set for me by someone else. Funny how that works...

In any case, I'll be celebrating by leaving that application up for one more day, while I re-calibrate my sensor tonight. Stay tuned for a new running goal to be posted within the next couple of days.

Surfrunner got a new pair of shoes!

Yesterday, I had a delightful first visit to the specialty running store down the street. Not only was this my first time in that particular store, but it was my first time in any specialty running store. Why? Well, because I'm frugal (*cough*, cheap/chang) and I've always viewed running shoes as functional equipment for a cheap, yet all-encompassing hobby. As long as I can run comfortably and my Nike+ system has a slot for the sensor, then it doesn't matter what shoe I get. Surprisingly, I've always thought of my iPod/Nike+ system as more important to my running than shoes. Well, not after yesterday's education.

Now that I think about it, of course I should care about the equipment that will help prevent my long-term injuries. The running expert identified the kind of runner I am: an overpronator; the kind of shoe I need to compensate for that: motion-control or stability; and proceeded to parade a large variety of those shoes to choose from. Not only that, but he explained the type of injuries I would get from running with the wrong shoes because of the way I run (I've already gotten them). Anyway, my favorite parts were that he let me extensively test each shoe: run a lap around the parking lot, and he drilled a hole in the shoe I chose so that it would perfectly fit my Nike+ sensor, all for free. Overall, I gained knowledge and I got special running shoes that didn't cost me any more than what I usually spend! Is that a good deal or what??

For the record, I settled on the Women's Mizuno Wave Alchemy 8. After I bought them, I took my new shoes for an inaugural run and finally broke the 700 mile mark!! That's right, according to my Nike+ system, I've run 700+ miles in a little over 2 years. YAY ME! As for the shoes, they are the lightest, most comfortable pair I've had. My only hang-up is that the trimming is bright neon green. Oh well, it's alright because I'm bringing the 80's back.

Free Surfrunner Tip: I tend to change my shoes every 300-400 miles to prevent injury.

Tempo Trail Run Report

I just got back from my favorite tempo trail run and felt the need to report what happened. So, in my new training plan I've tried to include a tempo run* on my favorite trail 3-4 times a week. The trail is scenic, paved, and best of all: convenient. It's only half a mile from my house. Anyway, it's also short enough that my runs can vary from 2-6 miles. Today was a 4-mile day.

The bad part about the trail is that during the summer the bugs come out in droves and the pollen continuously circulates. In other words, it's not the ideal trail for allergy sufferers. Additionally, they've just started construction in the middle of the trail, therefore add sawdust to the cocktail in the air.

Now, I've been running on this trail for the better part of 1.5 years, so I'm very familiar with the environment and the following has never happened before. Around mile 3, I noticed that I swallowed something small and it was irritating my esophagus. I tried hacking it up a couple of times, but it wouldn't come out. Then, I tried swallowing it down, but it wouldn't stay down. I've narrowed down it's identity to 3 possibilities: 1. A piece of tree bark, 2. An errant small leaf, or 3. A bug.

Good lord....I hope it's a leaf. But, considering how I think it keeps moving, I think it's #3 and I'm thoroughly grossed out. Btw, this is now my new reason to improve my breathing technique: In through the nose, Out through the mouth. Alright, I'm off to take a long shower and search for a very large cold beer.

*Tempo Run = A comfortably hard run that is no longer than 8 miles (when training for a half marathon).

An Amazing Race

I tend to look for running inspiration in a lot of other sports besides running. In my opinion, running isn't really an exciting spectator sport unless I'm watching a track meet. Ironically, I haven't been watching any of the running events in the Beijing Olympics this year even though I've read all about the extremely talented US, British, and Kenyan participants. However, I did manage to spend most of my weekend glued to the TV watching Women's Volleyball, Women's Beach Volleyball, Men's Basketball, and Men's/Women's Swimming. (Don't worry, I still got in my runs, folks.) In any case, there was one race in particular on Sunday night that I'd like to pull your attention to.

By now, everyone has heard about Michael Phelps, the intrepid olympian swimmer focused on adding 8 more gold medals to his collection. If he does win every medal, he will go down in the history books as the first olympian to win that many golds in one olympiad. I've been avidly following his story and his races to see if he succeeds. And I can't help but admire this driven/focused athlete. But, it wasn't his solo races which had me on the edge of my seat; it was the 4x100m relay on Sunday night where he competed with 3 fellow US swimmers.

What struck me about that race was the humbleness that the US team had when they entered the stadium. The Americans declined to comment or boast despite the verbal abuse that they were receiving from the favored French team. Instead, they decided to focus on each other and the race to swim a good swim and do their best. It's hard to find athletes who can keep that level of focus, especially with the world watching them. In any case, after watching that race, I'm now inspired to run with that level of focus, passion, and humility.

Check out the race: HERE

Good Luck Team USA with the rest of the Olympics!

P.S. So, those are the sports I've been watching in the games. What are you folks watching?

More Tweaking

Whoo, FINALLY! I can't believe it took me that many days to get over the technical difficulties to upload my runs. In any case, you can now take a gander at my inaccurate running graphs on the right sidebar: ------------------------------------------------------------------->

Trojan Warrior? More like chubby, sweaty, chain smoker!

Please excuse the delay of uploading my running graph from the SF Half-Marathon, folks. I'm having technical difficulties with my Nike+ system. Not only that, but it's an inaccurate graph anyway. Apparently, my running device has become un-calibrated over the last month. So, instead of running 13.1 miles, I look like I ran almost 15 miles. DOH! At least the time and relative shape of the graph will be accurate.

In any case, I do have some race memorabilia to share with you today. None of it which makes me proud or happy. Trust me, I'm not going to be telling this story to my grandkids one day. According to the website, my official finishing time is 3:17:22. Now, I know that I've been happy about finishing the race because I didn't expect to do it. But, 3:17?? Come on!!! I bet you even my almost 3-year old nephew could run faster than me. After I got over the novelty of finishing, the slow finishing time definitely kicked me in the pants. But, no matter...this will just motivate me to really hit my new time goal in the SJ half-marathon: 2:15-2:30. I know that sounds like a lot, but the course is completely flat and I'm actually training now.

And now for the piece d'resistance: my marathon photos. Now, I realize that running photos are notorious for being unflattering. But, I was hoping to look as dignified as the elegant ladies who prefer to race their horses while sitting side-saddle; not a hair out of place in their up-swept coiffures, and not one un-sightly bulge in their riding outfits. This is me we're talking about though, so no such luck. Feast your eyes:

And my personal favorite....

If you don't notice the rather pissed off lady in white, right behind me, look again. I think she's wondering why I sprinted past her for no reason. It's not like it makes a difference if I came in at 3:18 or even 3:19, we're already WELL past 3 hours. So to The Lady in White, I'm sorry that I thundered past you and scared you, but I was going for a good action shot at the finish line. Did I get it? Personally, I think I look like an ad for Tums rather than an ad for Nike. Oh well... There's always the next race!

I'm a Trojan Warrior

I want to start today's post with thanking everyone who lent me their opinions over the past week regarding my SF Marathon strategy. I ended up adapting Michelle's suggestion of a distance goal (10 miles) with a caveat that I'd play the rest by ear. So how did the race turn out yesterday? Alright everyone, I'm surprised and ecstatic to announce that I finished the race without being injured! Well, at least not more injured than I normally get after a race like that. I'm waddling around the office today, but at least I have a ridiculous grin plastered all over my face.

I don't have any action pictures or official race times to post, but I will be sharing them as I receive them. My unofficial time, according to my iPod, was 3:12. Yes, it was over the race limit. But, I think it was close enough to 3 hours so they still recorded the time and didn't open the roads yet. Not to mention that I wasn't dead last, and there was still a horde of people behind me. Hooray! Anyway, I'm not going to give you a play-by-play of the race like I did last time, but I do want to share all of the highlights (postive and negative).

Highlights

Positives:

• I beat my 10-mile time from last week by 10 minutes. At that mile marker I didn't feel any overwhelming pain, thus I made the decision to finish the race.
• I ran across the Golden Gate Bridge for the first time! Granted, there was maybe 60% visibility and it was windy/freezing, but it was so neat!!
• I finished the race without severe injuries.
• This is my favorite highlight: At the finish line there is usually an announcer who entertains the lingering crowd and essentially does a rolling commentary. When I rounded the corner and saw the finish line, I wanted to finish with everything I had. So I balled my fists, put on my game face, and switched from a light run to a full-out sprint. The next thing I heard from the announcer was: "Oh my, look what we have here. There seems to be a trojan warrior charging the finish line. This is a rare sight indeed folks, even in San Francisco. Go warrior!" At first, I thought that there really was a person dressed like a Spartan somewhere in the crowd, so I looked around. But, when I realized he was talking about me, I ran even faster and passed someone, especially when the crowd started cheering louder for me. This will go down as one of my favorite racing moments. I'm still tickled that I've been dubbed a trojan warrior.

Negatives:

• I had to wake up at 4 am. for this race, which started at 5:30 am. yuck.
• Some rude lady shoved me when I was on Golden Gate bridge (around mile 9), yelling: "Get out of the way!!" At the time, I was tiring out a bit so I consciously moved to the side to walk for a while. Seriously lady, there's no need to shove. It's not like you don't have the whole road.
• The traffic was so backed up where they blocked off the streets (miles 11-13), that the drivers thought it'd be constructive to hold down their blaring horns for 5 minutes at a time. Honestly people, I know that the race posts about the traffic delays days in advance. Please plan accordingly and don't take things out on the people who drag their butts out at 4 am to run for a cause.
• Somewhere along the way, I lost my car/house keys. They fell out of my pocket. It's a darn good thing that I let Raquel sit this race out because it was so early. Because, she and my other friends came to my rescue when I discovered that I was locked out of my car after I ran 13.1 miles. Believe me, at that point I didn't want to retrace my steps to find them.

And that concludes my post-race commentary, folks. The next thing on the horizon is the SJ Rock and Roll Half Marathon in two months. Yes, I've learned my lesson about proper training before a race. So, this time I'm going to do it right. In fact, I've suddenly inspired Raquel to want to train with me (during my short/fast runs). Most of you are aware that I prefer to run solo, so I do see the dilemna in this training technique. I'll let you know how it goes. Stay tuned for my official time results, my iPod graph from the race, and my action pics.

Pre-Race Jitters

When I was younger, during my choir years, I used to perform with our traveling group at least once a month, sometimes once a week during holiday and opera season. And even with all of that conditioning and experience, I still got nervous before a performance from time to time. For those of you who haven't felt that particular sensation, it feels like the butterflies in your tummy want to burst out of your body and your hands can't stop shaking. Charming, isn't it? Well surprisingly, my pre-race jitters are bizarrely similar even though I really only have an audience of one, me.

I know that I've always been my worse critic, and the people that matter to me will still love me even if I don't make my speed goal or don't finish the race. But to me, it's all about the effort that I just put into it. I want to "perform" well and prove to myself that those last couple of months of training weren't for naught. On the other hand, I know that I didn't train as hard this time around as I did for the Nike Women's Half Marathon last year. So naturally, I'm even more worried that I will not cross that finish line within the allotted three hour time limit.

With all of this mind, I decided to take my last long run yesterday (10 miles) as a diagnostic run. Mind you, that the longest long run I've done in the last couple of months has only been 7 miles. Obviously, doing this kind of mileage increase is not the easiest or smartest thing to do. So, do I dub myself race ready after that run? Well, let me give you a play-by-play of that run and my thoughts so you can see for yourself:

Mile 1-2: "Omg...piece of cake! I'm going so much faster than I did last year, and it doesn't hurt at all!"

Mile 3-4: "Rats, perhaps I shouldn't have started out so fast. My muscles are starting to burn. I'll try to keep pace with that muscular guy in front of me. He's going relatively slow."

Mile 5: "Oh well..there goes that muscular guy. I'm implementing that Walk-Run method for this race. Walk for 4 min., Run for 12 min. Maybe I'll have more energy towards the end."

Mile 6: "Why does the sign on that porta-potty say 'Beware of the rattle snakes in this area'? I've never seen that warning on this trail. Omg... is that log moving??? Oh...no, I'm just delirious. I hate snakes....damn".

Mile 7: "Oh, Hello Muscular Guy! I caught up to you. I think I'll pass you now. Oh...you weren't a guy. hahaha, I love San Francisco."

Mile 8: "Sigh...Hello big wall that I've slammed into. If I sit down here, will my car come and pick me up like the batmobile? And, will it bring my gf, booze, and dinner? Hmm...I should look into programming my car with AI, cause that'd be neat."

Mile 9: "That girl with the pink cowboy hat has a nice butt. I'm not sure if I'm hallucinating her, but at least it's getting me to pick up the pace. Then again, why would I hallucinate a pink cowboy hat? If anything, it'd be purple."

Mile 10: "2 hours and 30 minutes!!!?!? Oh CRAP! That's 20 minutes longer than my 10 mile time last year. Uh oh...I don't know if I'll be able to make the 3 hour limit next week."

And that concludes my run. Now, don't think that I didn't pay for rapidly increasing my mileage yesterday. Today, I've landed a nice little bout of sesamoiditis. Not to worry though, it's nothing a little ice and ibuprofen can't cure. Considering that though, I know that my injuries after the race will be a lot worse. So herein lies the big question of the week: Should I go through with the SF Half-marathon as planned, even though I'll most likely come in after 3 hours and with some minor injuries? Or should I wait for the SJ half-marathon that is coming up in October which I'm thinking I will do anyway? What do you folks think?

FARTLEK! Sorry, was that me?

If you aren't a runner, you're probably sitting there with the same perplexed expression that I had when I first heard of the term, fartlek. Is this some new fangled insult that I yet again don't know about? In fact, just the other day my un-hipness took center stage when I apparently was unaware of what a "cougar" was. To me, a cougar is a mountain lion that roams around a lot of hiking areas in California. Well evidently, unlike "cougar", "fartlek" is not another urban slang term that passed me by. It is a running term that describes a training run focused on speed; specifically meaning "speed play" in Swedish.

There are no constraints to a fartlek workout. The beauty of the concept is the free-flowing nature of the sprints. I can dictate the duration and frequency of the sprints within my run. Translation: Surfrunner can cheat and "pull a hamstring" whenever she's lazy. Naturally, I shouldn't be cheating, because the eventual benefit from a fartlek workout will be an increased pace. So I've designed some loose constructs around my fartleks to prevent the oh-so-tempting cheating. There are now several fast-tempo/high energy songs scattered throughout my running playlist. Each time one of those plays, I am to run as fast as I can until the song ends. If they start randomly playing back-to-back then I just need to keep going. Yes, I know..I've turned myself into a Pavlov dog.

I'm not sure if all these fartleks will actually help me reach my speed goal, but I have definitely noticed that I can sustain longer sprints than I used to. Besides, there's more invested in my running pace than finishing my speed goal. Apparently, this race has a time limit and they are intending on opening up the roads after 3 hours. Believe me, I've been having some very entertaining nightmares of me desperately trying to outrun speeding vehicles that promise imminent death.

It's 10 days and counting to the race... Am I starting to feel the pressure? Oh Fartlek!!, You bet I do!

Welcome Carmen Jiejie!

Alright, Internet...I know I've been lazy to post anything lately. In fact, I haven't even updated my running links on the side. Well, don't believe what it says! Even though, I didn't finish my running goal, my last run was not last month it was last saturday. A nice little 10K along Waikiki beach to be exact. In any case, most of the laziness has to do with blogging and not training. I will remedy this shortly.

In other news, I'd like to give a big welcome to my cousin, Carmen. (Her blog link is also at the bottom of my page.) She has just joined the blogging world for a very good cause. Our cousin, Jeff, contracted Leukemia this year and is going through chemotherapy. She has decided to join Team in Training in an effort to raise money for leukemia research, and will race in the Malibu Triathlon in honor of him. I'm looking forward to reading all about her hardcore triathlon training. Who knows...someday "Jog In Ocean" may also be blogging about triathlons. But, not right now. In the mean time, I'm happy to say that Jeff is doing well and is almost done with his treatment. Yay for both of them! Go Carmen! and Go Jeff!

Answers Posted to Name That Tune

Alright, I'm pretty impressed with how much everyone got out of this list. The overall winners are May and Dave. Congratulations! I think it also helps that they are very familiar with my music taste. The complete answers are posted in the comments section of the "Name That Tune" post.

Name That Tune

Taking a leaf out of Mayumi's blog, I've decided to play "Name That Tune" with my iPod. Why? Well, because I think it's fun and she had a really good idea. This doesn't really have anything to do with running, except songs from my running playlist may appear in this. I'm going to give you guys the first line from the first 25 songs which pop up on my iPod on random mode. Comment and guess the name of the song and the artist. I'll let you know if you're right. And as Mayumi says, no cheating and using Google.

***Answers posted in the comments section.***

Ok, here we go:

1. "Olha que coisa mais linda, mais cheia de graca..." **Jim got it**

2. "Hey baby girl, I've been watching you all day..."

3. "Alone at ballroom table, she was watching me watching her.." **May and Dave got it**

4. "Sayin' I love you is not the words I want to hear from you..." **Sidewalk Monkey got it, but by the wrong artist, she got the original one. I'm actually listening to the new one. Points if you know which artist it is.**

5. "You're just to good to be true..." **Sidewalk Monkey got the artist. M/D got the title**

6. "I love it when they try to get intimate, even though they know I'm not into it..."

7. "Aia i he'eia la, i ka nalu e he'e ana..." **M/D got it**

8. "Billy was born within sight of the shipyard..."

9. "On a perfect day, I know that I can count on you.."

10. "They paved paradise and put up a parking lot.." **M/D and Sidewalk Monkey (labeled it #6 though) got the song, Eric got the artist.**

11. "He's got a smile that it seems to me..." **Michelle got the title.**

12. "Amazing grace, how sweet the sound..." (obvious, but get the right artist)

13. "I dig my toes into the sand..." **Michelle got it**

14. "I want to run, I want to hide, I want to tear down the walls that hold me inside..." **M/D got it**

15. "Well I said baby, I've been thinking about it lately, my heart is calling for you..."

16. "I know that you like my style (x2), we came here to turn you out..." **M/D got it**

17. "Oh no, I see, I spun a web, it's tangled up with me..."

18. "And I'm just a waste of her energy, ..." **M/D got the artist**

19. "Sounds like thunder, gotta head for the high ground..." **M/D got it**

20. "I'm finding my way back to sanity again..."

21. "I put your picture in my mirror, start to blush when somebody says your name..."

22. " Ua mehameha au, a'ohe hoa aloha, Ua nui na makahiki, a hele aku ho'i au..." **M/D got it**

23. "Johnny wanna be a big star, get on stage and play the guitar..." **M/D got it, but they mislabeled the number. It's their 21. I'm assuming they mean 23**

24. "It never really mattered too much to me, that you were just too damn dumb for me..." **Michelle got it**

25. "Back on the road again, feeling kinda lonely and, looking for the right guy..."

Alrighty...that was kind of illuminating. For me, at least. I think I need to update my iPod and clean out some of these playlists.

Note: I actually had to skip 4 songs or so because they were instrumentals. Somehow, I didn't think anyone would get "Dum de dum...ba diddly dum"

I scream, you scream, we all scream....

Last month, I posted about the runner's diet: I Hate Diets, which discouraged eating a tub of Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream. I knew that I'd be eating my words one day. Thanks to the lovely people at Runner's World, who recently published this article: Sweet Reward, it looks like ice cream is an acceptable post-run treat. Apparently, even though ice cream is packed with fat and sugar, it also provides a good amount of protein and calcium. Do I think this article can justify me having ice cream after every run now? In two words: Heck no.

To be fair, I didn't say that I could never eat ice cream again. As with all food intake, it's about balance and moderation. So, indulging in ice cream, beer, or bacon every once in a while is perfectly fine. The article labels ice cream as a "post-run treat" for a reason. Since your metabolism is so high, I think you can eat almost anything up to an hour after a good run; even say... a double bacon cheeseburger, fries, and a strawberry milkshake, depending on the intensity of the run. But for me, it's not about maintaining the same level of fitness. If I'm working this hard, I want to progress beyond what I've already achieved. Life is just like that for me. I can go backward or foward (preferrable), but if I stand still for a long time, unfulfillment and ennuis will set in. Movement, in any direction no matter how small, at least gives me purpose.

So do I think that article is a bunch of hogwash? Nah, not really. It just needs to be taken with a grain of salt. At least it justifies the two pints of Ben and Jerry's sitting in my freezer. I can't wait till they write an article that lets me satify my unholy craving for fancy doughnuts and hot chocolate right now.

P.S. I love how they suggest adding corn to your diet at the end of the article, as if it balances indulging in the ice cream. If that's the case, you might as well combine it and eat Corn Ice Cream. Believe it or not, it exists in Queens, NY at Max and Mina's. I know...I watch too many Travel Channel programs which involve food.