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.

Boogie Down

As promised from my last post about my hip-hop class, I've been able to snag a video (low quality) of our practice. This is only half of the routine, and I should be able to post a better quality full-length video soon. It's really easy to pick out my buddy, Victor. He's the tall, bald, chinese guy in the video. The other guy is our teacher. And, I'm the one with the black top and jeans. For the first part, I'm on the right side of the little girl, and in the second half you can see me charging towards the camera.

So are we finally tearing up the dance floor? You tell me. In my opinion, we're loads better than when we first started a few months ago. And I'm very proud of this class, because we worked hard. In fact, our first performance is coming up this Saturday. So, we've been having practices at least three times a week for the last three weeks. It definitely reminds me of my choir days, when singing with that group felt more like a profession than an after school hobby. Now, with that much time dedicated to dance, where does that leave me in my training?

I have to say that my body has never felt so tired from me pushing it. With the onset of our practices, I had to eliminate most of my long runs. And in it's place, I've split my run into two short runs; one during lunch and a quick one after work. Thus, naturally leading to triple workouts on some days. It almost feels like a test on how bad I want to be able to finish the half-marathon. Well, considering that this particular race has a time limit, I want to make it to the finish line bad. I do not want to face the humiliation of crossing the finish line after the officials have opened the roads OR be picked up by a bus that clears out the slow people.

So right now, my focus and dedication is split, but I only have one goal: Avoid public humiliation. The result: I'm a dancing/racing machine!

Following Up

Now this is the kind of story you want to see after last thursday's article. I just wanted to follow up on the post I did about the crazy Bay Area speed climbing duo trying to break a record: Are They Crazy? Apparently, they did not break the record on Sunday as planned. However, they managed to break it today after the THIRD time climbing the rock face since last week. Read all about it here folks:

Third Time's a Charm

How inspiring is that? They wanted to complete their goal so badly that they stubbornly climbed El Capitan multiple times in a week. Congratulations to Hans and Yuji. There is no doubt that they worked hard to get there. And with that energy being my fuel, I've decided to make today Double Workout Wednesday.

Bouncing Back from Gluttony

In anticipation of the upcoming holiday weekend, I've decided to post about how I compensate for an over-indulgent night (or weekend) of festive food binging. Yes, believe it or not, there's actually a strategy to this. I'm not claiming any credit for the plan though, because I've adopted it from the experts who work at Runner's World: Holiday Weight-Loss Plan. Hopefully, I won't have to implement this plan anytime soon because my nurtition is on lock-down until the race. But, this is for all you folks out there who'll definitely go for the extra helping of BBQ chicken, BBQ ribs, or potato salad this July 4th.

The strategies that they prescribe are separated into types of binging (here's my breakdown):

Overall Food Binge:

• Ironically enough, you've got to eat a hearty breakfast afterwards. No, don't go to IHOP or Denny's and pig out on the all-you-can-eat pancakes or something. Don't just have a piece of toast or skip breakfast all together either. You need to get your system back on track and jump start the metabolism. So hearty means grainy carby goodness with fruits, ie: Fruit and Granola Yogurt Parfait (around 300-400 calories).
• Do a looooong run after breakfast. Considering how I am at a holiday feast, I'm usually trying to stuff enough food to sustain me through a winter hibernation. And if said feast is put on by my family (a Chinese clan from Hawaii), there are easily 9 fat-loaded dishes on the table. Take advantage of that carbo/protein/fat load that you did the night before and efficiently expend it over a couple hours of slow running and mulling over whatever family calamity happened at dinner.

Desserts

• It's actually a relatively new trend for me to hang out with my friends at dessert bars. But, that means ordering every item on the menu and sampling everyone's order. Don't give up the sweets just yet, because your body will just throttle you to the ground till you give in to ice cream. Instead, try to substitute the craving with natural sugars, like fruit.
• Use the sugar rush the next day and run a speed workout. You've got the energy in you, so don't let it turn into fat.

Pupus/Dim Sum/Tapas

• Every time I go with a large group of people to eat a "light" meal of snacks, I always end up leaving the restaurant feeling like I've eaten two meals. How does that work? Personally, I'd like to say it's because the company and conversation is so good that you never realize how many times the waitresses have to come to your table with more bite-size dishes. This kind of eating is actually tough for portion control. In any case, the next day I just try to get back to eating normally: no snacking.
• Crosstrain the next day, then hard workout the day after.

Meat, Meat, and more...Meat

• This is probably the most pertinent for the upcoming holiday. Since, for some reason the U.S. Independance day translates to scarfing down half a chicken, half a cow, and a quarter of a pig per BBQ. Meat makes me feel lethargic. So use nature's pick me up with a lot of fruit and vegetables the next day.
• Guess what you're going to do with all that protein. Yep, hardcore strength workout. With the extra protein, you're more than ready to pump iron, rep after rep. Bodybuilders drink protein shakes to get the quality protein I have after a meat binge. In my opinion, my method tastes better.

Ok Internet, hope that was helpful. Happy 4th of July! Enjoy the pigging out and kanak attack (food coma)!

P.S. Not only am I restricting myself from the typical culinary festivites this weekend, but I'm also slated to meet the girlfriend's parents. Believe me, I'm already burning extra calories just thinking about it.