Last Minute Pre-Race Thoughts

During my junior year in highschool, I was notorious amongst my friends for faking the flu every time we had an AP Physics exam. I have no idea why my teacher let me get away with that, but usually I'd be able to take my "sick" day and cram enough to muster a passing grade the next day. With the big race (SF Nike Women's Half Marathon) being only 4 days away, I'm starting to feel that same desperate need to postpone and last minute cram. Unfortunately, it doesn't work that way for an organized race. On the other hand, I've still managed to cram my last bit of training into this past month.

My original goal for this race, was a finishing time of 2:30 or under. Considering that the average runner finishes a half marathon in under 2 hours, it didn't seem like a tall order. However, my fastest half-marathon time so far has been 2:50, so in regards to my ability this was a stretch. Over the last couple of weeks (approximately 17 miles every weekend), I can't say that my pace has greatly improved. So I'm adjusting my time goal to just beat my best time, 2:50. Even though I've trained more this time around than I have with the last two half-marathons, I'm still feeling nervous, un-prepared, and mildly discouraged. I know it's not the positive inspiration that you'd usually expect from me pre-race, but I'm somewhat doubtful of my abilities after my last 11-mile long run last Sunday.

After the first three miles, I couldn't maintain a steady pace anymore and resorted to running brutal intervals for the rest of the run. And since I'm not used to running intervals for such a long distance, I was left dreadfully exhausted with extreme muscle soreness. To top it all off, around mile 5 I was passed by a very sprite and healthy old man who was.....walking....with a cane! It doesn't engender the most self-confidence, but at least I managed to shave off 20 minutes off my best 10-mile time since I was sprinting.

In any case, I'm going through the exercise of creating a list of running tips to get me through the race. This is definitely more for my benefit, but I hope that some of these points are useful for all you fellow racing procrastinators. As for me, I'll be mentally scrolling through this mantra during the race.

Surfrunner's Last Minute Race Tips:

1. Back Straight, Head High. - Believe it or not, having good posture is good running form. You won't be as sore, and you won't tire as quickly. It also encourages you to properly breathe through your diaphragm, like a singer, which will lend more efficiency to your breath.
2. Break the Distance into Chunks. - Everyone has heard of the philosophy to break a large task into little ones to complete, so the whole job doesn't seem overwhelming. That's definitely an idea which applies to running long distance. Personally, I like to break the race into 4 three-mile runs with some change, because I'm comfortable with a three-mile run. After a while, I'll begin to think "Hey, that last run wasn't so bad. I'm game for another".
3. Pick Visual End Points. - This kind of goes hand in hand with the last point. It's my mind-over-body exercise. When I start to feel my legs burning, I'll pick a spot far ahead of me to run to, before I stop for a walk break. It can be anything, like a tree, a lamp post, or even a moving person. Although, I don't choose a moving target unless I've got enough steam in the engine.
4. Feed Off the Crowd Energy. - I'm not the only crazy person to wake up at an ungodly hour to run an insane distance. There are 20,000 (at least in this race) other people who are just as nuts and happy to be doing it. I can literally feel their energy as they warm-up or pass me by. Don't let that energy go to waste and try to transfer the feeling of that camaraderie to your legs. It even works for the annoying little highschool students who stand on the sidelines to cheer you on. Granted, they are always erroneously yelling "Keep going!! This is the LAST HILL!", which it never is. So, I'll inevitably want to transfer their energy to smacking their earnest little heads. But, maybe I'll feel differently this time around.
5. Enjoy the Scenery. - Racing shouldn't be a chore, it's just a glorious end to the last few months of culminated hard training. So, take a moment to revel in the hard work. Pay attention to the race course, because it's beautiful and you don't always get a chance to run like this through closed streets every day.

Ok everyone, wish me luck! As my pudding buddy says, "You can't do anything more than your best". You're right dude. I'll try to remember that. And who knows,..maybe if I keep up the training/racing, I might end up as agile and healthy as the old man with the cane.

Happy Belated Moon Festival!

I know what you're thinking, what is with all the food posts? Where are the running posts? Sorry folks, I was just lazy and found it easier to cook, take pics, and share that instead of posting about my ongoing training torture. And the truth is that there wasn't much running to write about in September, since I took time off to entertain my visiting parents as well as nurse myself back to health from a cold. So did that month off put a chink in my training schedule? Indeed it did!

You'd think that I've learned by now how to take a break, i.e., maintain a base level of fitness with regular 2-mile runs. But, I've always been one to learn things the hard way. So, yet again I've had to build up my fitness level from scratch with just a month and a half left before the big race (Nike Women's Half Marathon 2009). Despite the setback, I've been determined to build myself back up the right way: slow and steady. I decided to restart my training with the Palo Alto Moonlight 5K Run.

There are races that I run as an annual tradition: SF Nike Women's Half Marathon; there are races that I run to assess my fitness level: SF 5K race; and there are races that I run for the pure enjoyment of it: Palo Alto Moonlight 5K Run. The moonlight run winds through the Palo Alto marshes at 8:30 pm, so your path is only lit by the moonlight. Thus, the need for the runners to have some sort of flashlight on their bodies. It's such a unique experience, and the best part for me is the group of friends, including Raquel, who I'm always running with for this event.

For the most part, my friends will run at their own pace so I don't have to worry about keeping up or slowing down. But, just knowing that they are also present on the course makes me smile. This year's run actually wasn't as bad/painful as I originally thought it would be with the shape I was in. In fact, I improved my previous time by three minutes! So on that note, I'd like to say that it was a great jump-start back to my training.

Race Highlights

• I didn't need to wear a headlamp, since Raquel decided to run at my pace and literally light my way. Isn't that what a girlfriend is for?
• Watching the unique ways that every runner decided to light their path. My personal favorite: the runner who wrapped himself in Christmas lights.
• Finding a new and fun way to celebrate Chinese Moon Festival other than eating moon cakes, which are a very calorie-dense dessert.

Introducing My New Herb Garden!

Thanks to my brother, I'm now the proud new owner of this cute little indoor herb garden! With the amount of cooking that I do, I've always wanted to have one of these. So, I'm happy to have this opportunity. My only hang-up has been that I'm a horrible gardener with a black thumb. But, the beauty of this garden is that it is entirely automated: the lights are timed, and it will tell you when it needs more water or nutrients. So basically, the herbs will take care of themselves. My kind of garden! As you can see, the garden contains Chives, Mint, Italian Basil, Purple Basil, Dill, and Thyme. There's also parsley, but it hasn't sprouted yet. Anyway, stay tuned as I post pictures of my herb garden diary, and hopefully a lot of dishes featuring my harvests!

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread

There's nothing better to end a bad cooking streak than dessert! With the next half-marathon only being about a week and a half away, I've been greatly taxing my body with the relentless training. So, I figured that it was time for a semi-healthy post-run treat: Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread, posted by none other than Runner's World themselves. But, even this recipe could stand for a bit of alteration. The original recipe makes two very large loaves of bread, but in my opinion it doesn't need three cups of sugar. So, I brought it down to 2 cups, and substituted one of those cups with brown sugar. Also, I substituted half of the flour with whole-wheat flour. Finally, for a more spicy flavor I added 1 tsp. of ground ginger to the dry mix. I can't express how much I love this recipe. It's so moist, flavorful, and holds all the quintessential flavors of Autumn. It's the perfect end to a brisk autumn run.

Pad Thai with Tofu and Prawns, Blanched Vegetables with Peanut Sauce

I needed to use up the Thai ingredients that I've collected in the refrigerator, so last night's dinner was Pad Thai with Tofu and Prawns, with a side of Blanched Vegetables and Peanut Sauce. For the Pad Thai, I sort of did a hybrid of Alton Brown's Pad Thai recipe and Thai Table's Pad Thai recipe. My problem with the dish was that I didn't soak the noodles long enough in hot water. So, I definitely messed up the texture of the pad thai. Note to self, next time soak the noodles for twice as long. Also, I can't believe how hard it is to find tamarind paste in 99 ranch market! After 20 minutes, I gave up and settled on the ready-made pad thai paste from Thailand, which seemed to be a combination of the common pad thai seasonings. As a rule, I'm not a fan of ready-made pastes and this was no exception. So, the next time I make this dish, I'll have to ask someone where to get the right paste.

The only saving grace to this meal was the blanched vegetables drizzled with yesterday's left-over peanut sauce. At least I got some thing right!

Thai Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce

I don't seem to be having a good cooking week, based on some of the mistakes I've been making in recent meals. So I went back to an old reliable recipe that I've re-created several times to break the bad streak. Unfortunately, the cooking muse just isn't cooperating with me this week. I moderately ended up overcooking the chicken, and the peanut sauce was slightly too salty and not peanut-ey enough. Oh well, I'm still not throwing out this recipe:

Thai Chicken Satay

Marinade:

-1/2 can unsweetened coconut milk

-1.5 Tb soy sauce

-cilantro

-garlic

-1 tsp turmeric

-1 Tb curry powder

-2 Tb fish sauce

-2 Tb brown sugar

-2 tsp white pepper

Marinate chicken (works best with chicken thighs) overnight. Grill on medium high till juices run clear.

I pretty much used Ellie Kriger's peanut sauce recipe. But, next time I'm going to adjust the amount of peanut butter that goes into it.

Chicken Adobo, Cabbage Stir-fry, and Brown Rice

In my zeal to makeover common meals to be more healthy and nutritious, I may have taken it a little far with this meal. I've never been able to obtain a decent Chicken Adobo recipe, and all of my previous experiments have ended in barely edible lumps. I'm happy to say that this last attempt actually tasted alright. Well, at least I didn't mind eating the leftovers. The concept is quite simple, really:

1. Brown meat and set aside.
2. Caramelize garlic, onions.
3. Fill pot with 1 handful of peppercorns, 2 bay leaves, white vinegar, soy sauce, and water.
4. Bring to a boil.
5. Return meat to pot.
6. Cover and lower heat to simmer for an hour or two till meat falls off the bone.
7. Eat.

My problem has always been trying to figure out the ratio of the liquids. This time, I tried to keep the balance by using a 1:1:1 ratio. The liquid has to cover the meat when simmering, thus requiring a cup each of the liquids. Also, my new twist was to use boneless, skinless chicken breast and thighs, which essentially removes all fat from this dish. In the end, the chicken was still very moist since it was simmering in liquid for so long. However, for some reason I think it favored the soy sauce more than the vinegar or water. In essence, I created Chinese Shoyu Chicken. Which isn't bad, except for the fact that Raquel isn't a fan. Sigh.. Oh well, back to the drawing board. The next time I try this, I'll ask Raquel to snag her grandma's recipe.

On the other hand, the cabbage stir-fry came out great! Basically, it's just a wok stir-fry of garlic, green onions, cilantro, eggs, cabbage, and fish sauce. It's my fastest and simplest side dish to make. And Raquel loves it. Then again, put enough fish sauce (patis / nuoc mam) on anything and Raquel will be all over it.