12/12 - Resolution Complete!

Done and Done!  I finished my resolution to complete 12 races in 12 months.  It's been tough to stick to but I"m glad I finally followed through on a New Year's Resolution!  A successful year all around. 

12/2/12: Mitten Run 5K - 31:10
11/22/12: Turkey Trot 5K - 30:55
10/27/12: Spooktacular 5K - 28:50
9/2/12: Twilight Run 5K - 30:21
8/16/12: Rubber Chicken 5K - 31:58
7/22/12: Rock and Roll 1/2 - 2:39:29
7/4/12: 4 on the Fourth - 41:58
6/21/12: 3.9 Mile Scramble - 39:41
5/19/12: Random 5K - 29:17
4/28/12: River Run 5K - 27:35
3/31/12: 1/4 Marathon - 1.07.51
3/18/12: St. Patty's 5K - 28:27
2/11/12: Cupid 5K - 30:48
1/8/12: Memorial 5K - 33:07

Total mileage for the year to date: 295.09
Goal: Get in five more miles before the end of the year

11/12 - Nearly There

With the Turkey Trot under my belt in a time of 30:55 I'm nearly there.  Only one race left.

Getting Creative

One of my goals from a previous post was to sign up for a creative writing course.  This is what came of it:

Tonight was the first in a six week course (actually the second as I missed the first).  We had five minutes to write.  The prompt was a picture of a hammock and trees with snow covering them.

Staring out the back window he longed for summer when the hammock was bathed in sun and curved under the weight of his lover as she slept dappled in a kaleidoscope of ever changing greens while the leaves overhead swayed in the warm breeze.  Now only the bare branches were left.  Stripped of all their life and vitality each encased in a layer of ice, covered in a peppering of snow.  Only the thin veneer of bark protected the now dormant core.  The hammock, once filled with the slow and steady beat of her life dipped under the weight of the heavy snow.  Only his heart hung heavier at the prospect of never seeing the curve of her shoulder peaking over the upturned fabric.  he knows he has to pull it down before the spring's verdant greens touch the hammock disturbing the grave of his memories.

Thoughts?

10/12 - It's Not All About Preparation

Woohoo!  10th race of the year went well and I learned it's not all about preparation.  I haven't laced up my running shoes since the last race I ran on September 2nd but I went out there and kicked this race's butt!  I clocked in at 28:50 which is respectable for me and much better than September's race which took me more than 30 minutes to complete.

I don't think this is a case of increased fitness though.  I'm pretty sure it was a case of a lot less weight to carry.  I finally reached my first goal with weight loss since I started tracking it weekly.  5% of my body weight is now gone, hopefully for good.  I still have nearly 35 pounds to loose to get into even the top portion of the healthy range for my height but I'm very pleased with my progress so far.

New running goal for the year, to add to the two more races I plan on finishing: break 300 miles.  Early in the year I was doing well with consistency in my running but that has slacked off significantly as seen in my chart of running distances.  It's easy to see that my running spirits got pretty well crushed in July after the 1/2 but I'm going to try to use my achievements in weight loss to help me hurdle the 300 mile mark for the year.

The running year in summary:
January: 40.21
February: 39.19
March: 38.26
April: 28.76
May: 42.22
June: 34.65
July: 45.80
August: 13.60
September: 3.1
October: 3.1
    Total: 288.89

Minor Addictions and Major Changes

I have a minor addiction to books.  There.  I've said it.  With all the newfangled technology out there, laptops, e-readers, smartphones, there's still nothing like the feel of a paperback in your hand.  There's nothing that puts a smile on my face like the crack of a freshly opened spine or seeing my bookmark slowly marching forward through the pages of whatever adventure I'm reading.  It's midnight, I have to be up tomorrow (today?) at 6 am and I'm pre-ordering all the books by my favorite authors. 

Mass market paperback.  For whatever reason the newest in printing fashion is to print in trade paperback.  Which would be fine, except that I have well over 300 books on my shelf in mass market and I'm a little OCD about my books.  The neat rows of titles evoke flashes of stories every time I look.  The straight lines lead me through memories of characters lives.  I like the neat, orderly fashion of it all.  I need it.  So I wait months, sometimes years to read my favorite author's newest texts because I have to have them in mass market.  Tissa by Steven Brust isn't going to be released in mass market, I'm not going to buy it.  James Patterson's Alex Cross books are half in mass market half in a narrower taller size. I've only read the ones that line up on my shelf.

I took a time management class.  It was for work but really it was about learning to set goals and finding the time to meet them whether that is finishing what you're working on at work or changing your life.  We looked at all aspects of our lives and ranked them based on those that were most important to us.  We then gave each a number for how satisfied we were with that part of our lives on a scale from 1-10.  My top three of importance were Personal Development (7), Family (8), Friends (7).  We then set goals that were measurable with a time line.

- By December 31st 2012 I will have completed a creative writing class and will have reviewed the spring schedule for art classes. (Personal Development)
- By Thanksgiving I will have lost 10 pounds. (Physical)
- By the end of this week I will have asked the cute guy at work to go to lunch. (Family - note: family includes the acquisition of significant others)

I'm hoping to report that by the end of the week I'll have succeeded with the third one and have signed up for the first.

9/12 - It's Like a Running Party!

I'm pretty excited about the performance I had in the most recent race.  447 out of 959 with a finishing time of 30:21 with a pace of 9:46.  My dad was 10 seconds behind me in 456th.  For a pretty dismal August performance of only 13.6 miles I think I may try to get back in the swing of things.  My friends want to run the Disney 1/2 in February so maybe I need to get back in the saddle and pick up the running. 

The running year in summary:
January: 40.21
February: 39.19
March: 38.26
April: 28.76
May: 42.22
June: 34.65
July: 45.80
August: 13.60
    Total: 282.69

8/12 - Rubber Chickens!?

The August run was great.  The prize for top finishers was a rubber chicken.  What's not to love!?  Unfortunately I didn't win one but I felt great just because I enjoyed myself so much.  It's been weeks since I really enjoyed running.  Since my very disappointing half, and the training leading up to it, this was the first run I had fun with.

I ran with a few friends on the hilly cross country course and had a blast.  More focused on the footing than the time and chatting with my running buddies it was a joy to get out there and run in the woods.  I think I'm going to have to test out my Vibrams on some local hiking trails.  That could be good.  I finished 31:58 averaging a 10:18 pace and was super content with it.  Overall a great day.

About That...

Huh.  I just finished the GRE.  The new computerized version grades you instantly on a scale from 130-170.  You can sort of think of 160-170 as an A, 150-159 as a B, 140-149 as a C and anything below that as a waste of showing up.  I scored a 163 on verbal and a 157 on math.  Huh.

I called my dad to ask him about this.  I mean, I'm an engineer and my verbal scores were higher than the math ones?  WTF.  His response "I'm not surprised, I always thought you'd grow up and become a sports journalist".  Seriously!?  And you didn't tell me this before I got two engineering degrees????  What am I supposed to do with that information?!

Hitting the Wall

I've recently hit the wall in more ways than one.  The first two are to do with my body.  After the abysmal 1/2 marathon I ran last month I feel like I've managed to run the fun out of running.  I used to enjoy it.  Getting up early always sucked but I didn't mind 2, 3 or even 4 mile runs.  Now the idea of a mile is a chore.  Despite the half my logged miles for July only piled up to 45 and I'm looking at the sofa as my home away from home for the next while.  I just don't enjoy it anymore.  I am, however still going to try to reach my goal of 12 races in 12 months.  I think it's key to life to try and stick to things.

On a brighter note the second thing I've hit the wall with is the shape of my body.    I'm in shape, Round is a shape.  Well I'm pretty sick of being round. I've decided to join Weight Watchers.  I figure if running isn't part of the equation for the moment maybe I can take the time to focus on what I'm eating.  Right now the answer to that question is lots and lots of saturated fat and fried things.  But it's a new month and I'm trying to turn things around.  So here's to my, hopefully long lasting, dedication to trying to live a healthier life!  Because being 70 pounds over weight just doesn't cut it anymore.

Finally I've hit the wall at work.  I'm never good at doing things I don't enjoy and work has become one of them.  So I've started looking for a new position at the company I'm with.  I've also signed up for the GRE in the hopes that if all else fails I can go back to school.

Here's to hitting the wall and finding a new way to get over it!  Hoping all my endeavors go well.

7b/12 - Pretty Disappointing

My seventh race this year was supposed to be the pinnacle the goal I was striving for with the rest of the year the downhill slope easing my way through the rest of the year.  Unfortunately it turned into a pretty solid disappointment.  13.1, the half.  Hot, humid weather combined with not quite enough training and still being painfully overwieght made the race pretty bad.  I was hoping to run the whole thing with a backup goal of finishing under 2:30.  Neither was reached.  The most I can say for the run was that I made it to the end no matter how slow and painful the thing was.  Unfortunately, it sort of destroyed my desire to try this again.  I'm limiting myself to the 10K at my max distance at least through the rest of the year.

A breakdown of the splits for the race shows when it all fell apart, right around mile 9 where my overall pace increased by a full minute, then went even higher tacking on another 20 seconds to add insult to injury.
 
5K (33:27, Pace 10:42 ),
10K (1:07:29, Pace 10:48),
10 Mi (1:58:44, Pace 11.48),
1/2 (2:39:29, Pace 12:10)

PRs are now:
5K (3.1 miles): 27:35, Pace 8:54 (4/28/12)
10K (6.2 miles): 1:06:19, Pace 10:41(10/12/08)
1/4 Marathon (6.55 miles): 1:07:51, Pace 10:21 (3/31/12)
1/2 Marathon (13.1 miles): 2:39:29, Pace 12:10 (7/22/12)

7a/12 - Bonus Race and Running Summary

Happy 4th!  To celebrate this Wednesday off I ran a road race with friends.  Actually I ran one as a friend.  My friend hurt her back recently and couldn't run the race she signed up for so I put her bib on and ran the 4 mile race.  I wasn't setting any land speed records, the entire race was hills either up or down the whole time.  But I finished and didn't walk so I'm happy.  41:58 which puts me at a slow 10:30 pace. This put me 51st/70 in my friends age group and would have put me 31st out of 47 in mine.

Unfortunately I've noticed this trend in both soccer and running.  I've been pulling out longer weekend runs to prep for my half and it seems to have slowed me down.  After the half I think I'm going to focus on improving my 5K and 10K times and not worry about distance.  See if I can't break the 27 minute mark.  That would be pretty cool.  And also help my soccer skills.

The running year in summary:
January: 40.21
February: 39.19
March: 38.26
April: 28.76
May: 42.22
June: 34.65
July (to date): 4.00

Total = 227.29 miles

6/12 - Halfway There

You're listening to the third fastest round person!  I ran my monthly race and finished in third in the Athena division.  For those not initiated into the wonderful world of running that's the females over 150 lbs.  Hence the round people. 

Unofficially clocking in at 39:41 we found out at the end of the race they had tacked on an "extra" .8 miles.  So the race was actually 3.9 miles long rather than the scheduled 3.1.  However, because of the heat and humidity they changed the course last minute which made the run longer but left it mostly in the shade.  I finished with a respectable 10:10 pace.  Not where I was but I've been faltering in my training lately.  I'm hoping to pick it up this week with a 10 mile run on Saturday.  The furthest I've ever run!

Here's to hoping this weekends run goes well.  Only 4 weeks until my half marathon so hopefully I'll make it through.

Permanent Marker

One of the things I've wanted to do for quite some time is to get tattoos in honor of my parents.  So with that in mind this evening I was indelibly inked in honor of my mother.  On her 57th birthday I got a tattoo that, to me, represents her.  The words "Live, Love, Laugh" are now permanently scribed on the arch of my left foot.  It's part of an eventual pair of tattoos that speak to the things my parents have taught me about the way one should live their life.  I can only hope to meet and exceed that expectation.  So here's to trying to live for today, love like there's no tomorrow and laugh as often as possible.

Four Wheels Short of a Car

According to the local police department the Fit Sport has seen a rash of stolen wheels/tires.  The stock ones that come on it apparently have chrome wheels.  Unfortunately this means they're valuable.  Even more unfortunately they fit the Honda Civic as well.  Hence the recent thefts. 

Yep.  That's my brand new car.  I've owned it less than 3 months and it doesn't even have 3000 miles on the odometer.  I moved into my new apartment complex last Wednesday.  Ten days later my car was missing all four tires and wheels.  Not a great sight to come out to when you're trying to get to work on a Friday morning.

There is hope for humanity though.  With the exception of whatever assholes actually did the theft I found that everyone has been very kind and helpful through the whole process.  Everyone from the town Police Department officer, to the Insurance Adjuster and Claims person, to the Honda dealer where I'm re-ordering the parts through, down to the garage and the tow guy who came to pick Blueberry up. 
Even my new neighbors have offered up their condolences.  I got offers of rides from a number of different people who are now my neighbors.  Everyone has been very good to me.  The garage even found a set of doughnuts to put on my car so the tow truck could come pick it up.  I'm pretty sure I'm getting wheel locks this time around.  Sigh.

On a lighter note my friend made me laugh pretty hard when she reminded me what I said when I got the new car.  I had mentioned I was glad I didn't have to worry about loosing hub caps anymore, which I seemed to do with regularity on my Corolla, because I had rims now.  So if those were missing the whole tire and wheel was missing.  Oh the irony.  

5/12 - And the Winner Is...

So it wasn't a PR at 29:17 I didn't set any new land speed records and at 2 lbs. back up things were looking down.  However, my time somehow managed to put me on the podium for my age group!  3rd of 19!  A small race but it made me feel pretty good.

Too bad I was too impatient to run errands I didn't pick up my prize.  LOL.  Oh well.

Here's to my first podium finish

4/12 - April and another PR!

Today's race was super exciting!  I PRed again!  Despite a 2 lb. increase in weight from my March 5K I officially clocked in at 27:35 which puts me in at an 8:53 pace.  BELOW 9 MINUTES!!!!  This is super exciting as I haven't run that fast since high school which was forever ago.  I shaved 17 seconds off my average pace and 52 seconds off my overall time.

I'm obviously pretty excited and hopefully this will fuel me to push through and continue with my 1/2 marathon training.  Only 11 weeks until the big race.  I just have to keep focusing one week at a time.  April hasn't been a very consistent running month for me so I'm going to try to let this personal win push me.

PR It:
5K: 27:35, Pace 8:54 (4/28/12)
10K: 1:06:19, Pace 10:41(10/12/08)
1/4 Marathon: 1:07:51, Pace 10:21 (3/31/12)
1/2 Marathon: TBD
Marathon: TBD

A Little Piece of Heaven on Earth

If personalized heavens exist "Pelada" pretty much captures the perfect image of mine.

"Pelada" is a documentary put together by a young couple chasing an eternal pick up game of soccer.  Over the course of a year they travel to South America, Europe, Africa and Asia and find soccer everywhere.  They videotape and enter in games all over the world.  I'm not sure life could get any better than that.

The documentary itself is about what you would expect from first time movie makers.  The voice overs are interesting but there's no real talent in the voices and the images are interesting but not stunning.  Despite all that this movie tugged on my heartstrings.  The woman, Gwendolyn, is especially painful for me to watch because it's like looking in a mirror (albiet a much more fit mirror).  She's a twenty something trying to put the idea of playing soccer professionally behind her.  Seeing that in someone else hurts a little because I understand how hard it is.

Despite everything what was most important to me, even more than the allure of traveling all over the world is that this movie makes me want to go out and play, to put a ball under my foot and meet other people who feel the same way.  It's what would make that experience heaven on Earth for me.

Sometimes the Voices in My Head Have Bad Ideas

http://www.hoodtocoast.com/#

A 200 mile race composed of 36 legs anywhere from 3.5 mile to 7.8 miles.  The average pace must be less than 9:30 to finish in the allotted time, and it starts on top of a mountain.

Set in Oregon and running from midway up the highest peak , Mount Hood, the Hood to Coast is an epic run.  And I desperately want to try it.  Now the trick is finding 11 people who want to try it with me.

Anyone Interested?

I'm a Runner Now...

I just finished a 1/4 Marathon (6.55 miles) in 1.07.51 which clocks me at a 10:21 pace.  I'm pretty excited about it!  It makes me feel like I'm a runner finally.  This is the furthest distance I've ever managed.  I'm starting to run further and further  which is also exciting.  I more or less kept pace with my dad and we beat our goal time of 70 minutes by more than 2 minutes!

This is also a new distance for me so a new PR
5K: 28:27, Pace 9:10 (3/18/12)
10K: 1:06:19, Pace 10:41(10/12/08)
1/4 Marathon: 1:07:51, Pace 10:21 (3/31/12)
1/2 Marathon: TBD
Marathon: TBD

Finally to wrap up here's the March Running Summary
Runs: 13
Total Distance: 42.36 mi.

RIP Corolla, Blueberry is Born

I got a new car today.  A little bittersweet.  The only car I've ever had went to the great junkyard in the sky for a whopping 600 dollars trade in value.  It put in a rather solid 10 1/2 years.  By the end there were a few issues.  Mechanically the starter was going and the breaks weren't working well.  Everymorning there was a prayer to the spark plug that it would start.  And of course the lights in the dash, which had been out for almost 7 years were still gone.

More of the damage was cosmetic.  I was down to one hub cap (the front drivers side).  The ceiling fabric was falling down and the steering wheel and carpet where my foot and hand rested had worn down.  There were various dents and dings to be seen.  But that car got me going and never let me down.  I never had a flat, never couldn't get it started.  The muffler fell off once but it was a faulty weld and the guys at Midas fixed it for free.

~132K miles on it at trade in, 99K of which were put on in 10.5 years I drove it.  Not bad.  That car got me half way across the country and home safely time and time again.  It took me to Disney world and to internships.  It got me through high school, college and the first 4 years in the workforce.  I'm not ashamed to admit I was tearing up when I walked away from it for the last time.

I took that last hub cap with me.  I've lost hubcaps all over the place not the least of which was one that went flying off when I was pulled over for speeding in North Carolina and the officer made me get out of the car and get it on the threat that he'd fine me for littering on top of speeding if I didn't retrieve the errant piece of plastic.  I've been avoiding getting a new car for a while now and said I would only do it when I lost the last hub cap (I've had 1 for about 7 months).  I'll find a new home for it along with the first liscence plate I got that's hanging on my wall.

And so with a hint of sadness I turned in the keys for those of a shiny new Vortex Blue (read: cobalt) Honda Fit with 6 miles on the odometer.  My dad immediately dubbed it Blueberry.  I have high hopes that this new machine can serve me as faithfully and well as my Corolla did.  I hope they put it out in a pasture where it can play with all the other cars past its prime.  RIP Corolla; Blueberry is born.

3/12 - PR! What What

For the 3rd race of the year I was trying to beat 30 minutes.  I did one better.  Not only did I break 30 but I set a PR (personal record) for myself for the 5K distance!  I finished in 28:27.  A new best.  My PRs are listed.

5K: 28:27, Pace 9:10 (3/18/12)
10K: 1:06:19, Pace 10:41(10/12/08)
1/4 Marathon: TBD
1/2 Marathon: TBD
Marathon: TBD

The Writing Process

Most people have talent and they use it on command.  My creative writing process is more like a talent that uses me on command.  It goes something like this:

I watch something, see something, read something that makes a few synapses fire at the time but nothing too exciting.  Then a few hours later I lay down and try to sleep.  At which point the synapses decide that this is a fine time to set up shop and go to town.  They zip back and forth creating images and scenarios and ideas.  It's like a country road suddenly flooded with L.A. traffic.  There's no where to go and it needs an outlet somewhere so instead of sleeping I slowly reach critical mass until there's no way sleep can happen.  So I build my own off ramp.  I write until the idea has run itself out.  Sometimes it's an entire short story but most of the time it's a scene or a snapshot.   I check the traffic report.  The new exit has allowed traffic to die down  but it's still pretty busy, I'm already writing and if I try to sleep now I'll get nowhere quickly.  So I write some more.  I write until we're back down to a few stray cars rumbling down the streets at respectable speeds.  I close the ramp and my computer and allow the Sunday traffic to roll through town softly lulling me into sleep.

It's nearly 2am on a work night and all I want to do right now is sleep... doesn't look like it's in the cards for a while.

10 Years in the Making...

After ten years of waiting George R.R. Martin has finally released the 5th book in his Song of Ice and Fire series.  The first four books; Game of Thrones, Clash of Kings, Storm of Swords and Feast for the Crows were amazing reads.  They dragged you in and you couldn't help but power through all 1000 pages plus in each volume.  He broke all the rules and killed main characters.  He expertly wove minor characters through each story line and twisted and turned weaving each thread of individual story into a brilliant tapestry.  And then waited 10 years to release the next book.

Ten years is a long time to wait for a book.  Some were uncertain if he would even finish this volume A Dance with Dragons.  But he did and now it's clutched in my hands preventing me from getting any sleep.

The first volume of the story was also turned into a miniseries on Showtime or HBO.  Suggestion: don't watch with your parents.  15 minutes in to the first episode Kahl Drogo is pounding away at a naked 15 year old Daenerys.  My dad got up and left the room.  I got up and left too.  Awkward.  The only thing that made it better was my grandparents visiting my parents the following week and my mother calling me up and telling me it's just as awkward when you're the kid as the parent.  Maybe I'll rent it.

Wander-ful!

I am now the proud owner of a brand new 52 page (the larger one) passport.

I can't wait to fill it up!

2/12 - ... I'm the Gingerbread Man

Another race under my belt.  I totally blew past my goal time of <33 minutes and finished in 30:48 which means my average pace was less than 10 minutes!  9:55.  A huge improvement over my last race.  Watching what I've been eating has helped too.  I managed to cut almost 8 lbs since the last run.

The race was fun.  A pair of friends came down from Boston to do it with me.  They finished in ~27.  Two more friends that are local ran with me.  One ran with me the whole way the other finished in ~33.  There was an irritating woman in front of us that was using us to pace.  She would jog until she got ahead of us then walk and as soon as we passed her would jog again.  This went on for about 2.5 miles or so and the last bit of the race we just stepped it up and totally crushed her.  It felt fabulous!

On another running note I just signed up for a 1/2 marathon with my dad in July.  We'll see how it goes.  Next run: March 18th.

1/12 - First in the Series

One down eleven to go.  The first race of the year was a very small local 5K.  I finished with a time of 33:07, 32 seconds faster than my mitten run just a month earlier.  My pace dropped from 10:50 to 10:40 and I'm 3 pounds lighter.  Not bad.  I'm pretty excited about it considering the way I felt at the start line. 

The next race is February 11th.  Here's to hoping to a few less pounds and a few less seconds.

One Happy Island

The list of places I've visited now includes Aruba.


visited 10 Countries(ish) (4.44%): USA, Canada, Puerto Rico, Panama, Honduras (Roatan), Peru, Aruba, France, Morocco, Israel.

I spent a very fun New Years in Aruba this year with my perpetual travel buddy.  We got there on Wednesday the 28th and returned Wednesday the 4th.

While we were there we stayed at this amazing little place recommended by a Couch Surfer named Mariza.  She was an absolutely wonderful host!  She recommended a day at Baby Beach and took us hiking in the national forest which ended with a trip to the natural pool.  She loaned us snorkels to check out the cuddle fish and suggested walking out to the California lighthouse.  We ate dinner together, met her friends and she showed us the best fireworks the country had to offer on two separate nights!

Overall the trip was very low key and relaxing.  I even got the hang of wind surfing while I was there.  Can't wait for the next great adventure!