What Motivates You? (Free Running Shoes Giveaway!)

Runners! I'm having a FREE running shoes GIVEAWAY courtesy of Onlineshoes.com!

I know we have days when we don't want to get out of bed, let alone go for a run or hit the gym. Now that WINTER is upon us with freezing temperatures and darkness, Winter tempts us to stay in doors. I'm still amazed to read your stories of running even in the worst conditions. Seriously, I can't believe some of you guys run in snow, get ice crystals on your face after a run, go out looking like a burglar (cute one, of course) or with 20 layers, and even use special gear like Yak Trax. Seriously, I am impressed with your dedication and tenacity. And there so many of you, too! :-)

I wrote in my previous post about a run in "cold" 40 degree weather yesterday... I didn't want to. Really! I wanted to stay indoors and maybe make something warm to drink. But I decided to go. I still believe in my own potential that I can improve myself. That I might run just a little big faster. And that potential makes me not want to waste even one day. That maybe, just maybe I can be a better athlete/runner. Strange, I never considered myself as an athlete. So, I guess I am motivated by my own potential!

So, what motivates you?

Onlineshoes.tv and Onlineshoes.com are promoting a contest where they are giving away running shoes to a lucky commenter (randomly chosen, I promise). Leave me a comment and share your motivational tip and you could win a pair of free running shoes from ASICS, Adidas, Saucony or Brooks! You just have to leave a comment by Monday, December 22nd! (You never know unless you enter!) Good luck to my readers!

** There's been a change to this post today (12/18/2008)! Originally, I asked you to go to Onlineshoes.tv to enter you comments BUT you can enter them on my blog comments. And I'll be picking out a winner randomly. I'm so excited to have my OWN giveaway!!! If you left me a comment alreaady, you're entered. :-)

Looking for Great Running Gloves?

I went on a 7.5 mile run yesterday. The first "long" run since CIM. I worked from home yesterday and in the afternoon, I was itching to run. Sure it was cold and rainy but I had to get out there. And, the dreadmill was not an option! It was about 41 degrees out and to this Californian, pretty darn cold. I can't believe last year around this time I was running around Central Park in NYC in below freezing temperatures! What was I thinking?? Duane was also working from home yesterday so he took out his creaky old bike out to ride next to me. It was nice to have company and also, I noticed I was running much faster than my regular runs... Probably because Duane was pacing me at a faster pace on his bicycle. Fortunately, during the time I was out there, it didn't rain at all. But it was cold. The weather reminded me of race day at CIM and it felt familiar and almost comforting. THANK GOODNESS I remembered to wear my running gloves. I love these Saucony 3 Season gloves! I got them for $20 at the Fleet Feet booth at the CIM expo. I just looked at the inside label and turned out it's a men's small! Hmmm. That would explain why it felt like something was "off"... But for the most part, these Saucony running gloves do a good job keeping my hands dry and warm. I like that it's got good insulation and rubbery dots at the fingertips for traction. AND, the best part was that it didn't chaffe my nose too badly when I used them to wipe my nose. I know, gross but what's a girl to do when your nose is running?

Final stats: 7.8 miles at 9:14 pace. :-)

Top

Bottom

Oh and btw, for those of you that asked, I really like the CommentLuv features. I had to spend some time watching the tutorial video to get it right but it works well!

Coming Up for Air!

Where do I begin? I've been away from the blogging world for about a week and I feel so behind! I am planning on catching up on the reading this week, though! I am dying to read all the race reports, of course!

As for me... I have done no running at all this week. Well, besides the 1 miler recovery run on Tuesday since the CIM, I have done zero running and exercise. I am sure I am in last place for the Holiday Bootie Buster Challenge, too. But, today I started up on my running/exercise regiment again. 3 miles on the treadmill and 45 min on the elliptical machine. I really wanted to run outside but it's been rainy and cold the past few days.

I also passed my Professional Project Manager Certification exam last Friday. Thank you for all the best wishes and good lucks! I think they helped! I had holed myself up for a week in total isolation to study for the exam. My only distractions were my husband, Facebook and Twitter. The last two of which are apps on my Blackberry so that little blinking light would distract me. Each blink was a cry of "check me, check me". And it was really really hard not to reach for the phone. You're probably wondering why I didn't put the phone in the other room? Because I have serious co-dependency issues with my phone and I can't be part from it for more than a minute. The little red blinking light is like my security blanket! Anyway, if you want to connect with me on FB or Twitter, let me know! :-)

This past weekend, I had a few holiday parties and even a cookie exchange. I chose 2 recipes from the Food Network's 12 Days of Cookies and they both turned out really well!!

Alton Brown's Paradise Macaroons Recipe

Aida's Hazelnut Tea Cookies Recipe

Both were really delicious. I really think I had the best cookies at the exchange. Ha! This is only the 2nd time I've baked something from scratch. Recall my Low-Carb Pumpkin Cheesecake? That was my first!

Also, Duane and I made way over to the first holiday party of the season for us. Aron's Black and White Christmas Party. Which was one classy affair. I got to meet Maritza and Kristin for the first time and was happy to see Aron and Tara again. Our favorite conversation topic was running, of course. And reading. . . lots of books! Our second loves! I really had a good time imbibing and catching up with these girls! Here is some of my favorite moments:

The girls... Kristin, Tara, Maritza, Aron and me

Aron had props!Chillaxin' on the sofaDuane & me!

Oh and looking forward to being off for 2 weeks starting next Monday. Oh I plan to catch up on the reading. Oh yes, I will! Also trying something new with the comment section. Bear with me while I figure it out myself...

CIM 2008: One Long A$$ Race Report

I keep having flashbacks of the moment where I crossed the finish line on Sunday and I get choked up. You know, the whole teary eyes with stingy nose thing. And I revel every moment of it! And it's still so fresh on my mind. It all culminated into that one point... As soon as I saw that my sub-4 hour finish was within grasp, I sprinted toward the finish line. Well, I *think* I sprinted. Not quite sure. Everything felt slow. Very slow.

So here are the official stats:

Gun Time: 03:59:18
Chip Time: 03:58:17
Half Marathon Split Time: 01:56:40
Pace: 9:08
Age Group (30-34): 151
Athena Category: 6

Yes, I actually qualified for the Athena weight division, which I have very mixed feelings about. I knew I had gained weight but seriously, that much? Of course, I did weigh in fully clothed with shoes but still! Actually, how 2 people know how much I weigh. SLB (for the Swap Beat) and that guy who weighed me at the Expo. :-/

But, even with the weight gain, I was still able to beat my best time by over 11 minutes!

D and I headed drove up to Sacramento after the Lollipop 5k (more on that later) and just barely made it to the Expo by 3pm. It was crisp and sunny down in the Bay Area but as soon as we crossed the the Sacramento city line, it was all gloomy and foggy. The weather forecast did call for overcast skies but it felt much more ominous. But then, I was glad. What runner doesn't love cold race weather? The expo was just ok, I still think the Rock n Roll Marathon series have the best race expos! But the best part of the day was that I got to meet Leslie, KK and Stacey.

Leslie & me

Leslie, KK & me

Stacey & me

I was excited to meet Leslie because she's my pseudo blog mom. She always dispenses great advice and watches out for me. How awesome is that? And she's so beautiful in person! Even Duane commented on how pretty she was. KK was just as lovely and it's so nice to finally put a face to a name! Oh and Stacey, she is a hoot. Full of life, energy and great sense of humor. Tina, please have your phone handy next time! ;-)

Oh and I didn't realize I signed up for the long-sleeve tech t-shirt but I was sure happy I got one. I was worried that medium wouldn't fit but good thing those shirts ran big.

We later met our running group at Lucca for our big pasta dinner and had a great time. There were 8 full marathon runners (including me) and one relay team. Half of us PR'd and the other half BQ'd during the race!

After a delicious parpadelle pasta dinner and decadent chocolate cake dessert, I got back to the hotel and set out my outfit and gear. 2 bottles of water/Gatorade combo, 4 packs of Gu and some mini energy bars for well... energy, of course. I don't like regular Gatorade so I usually dilute about half with water. I also decided to go with Gu instead of the Luna Moons. I need to preserve every iota of energy, which also includes chewing! I watched a little bit of CSI Miami and then promptly passed out at 10:30pm.

Sunday morning, I woke up with trepidation and excitement. It was still overcast which was a great sign. I looked out our hotel window and saw dozens of school buses ready to transport the runners to the starting line. It felt like the entire city center was jammed with runners in line for the buses and the buses themselves! I was lucky that Duane was driving me to the starting line. The strategy was for Duane to drop me off at the starting line and he was going to meet me every 5 miles or so to cheer for me and to do some gear swapping, if needed. I got the starting line and saw the swarm of runners near the starting line and I got excited. Really really excited. There's nothing like 5000+ runners huddling about getting ready for a run in the cold and darkness! If i remember correctly, the temperature Sunday morning was 37 degrees. Brrrr! I did my usual Porta-Potty thing and felt READY. I don't think I ever felt that ready for a race! (Seriously, thank goodness for training plans!)

5 min before the start! Decided to run with my long sleeve tech shirt last minute...
And then the gun went off! And it was downhill. I told myself to start slooooow and not fall into the downhill start trap thing. The first mile came really fast! I heard a guy by the mile 1 marker yell out the pace time and I was a bit thrown off. I have never run a race where someone tell you your pace at the mile marker and the time, too. I think I clocked in at a 10:00 min pace at mile 1. The first 5 miles were a blur, really. All I remember thinking was, this isn't too bad! I first saw Duane around mile 5, i think. I remember handing him my gloves because my fingers were getting sweaty. Which I regretted the entire race! It was really cold. It was also around then that I saw Tara and Maritza! Ok, more like Tara saw me and screamed my name! It felt SO great to see them cheer for me and gave me a boost of confidence and energy. I felt like I wasn't doing it alone. My friends were there. And I saw them a few more times on the course, which was a total treat! *sniff* Ok, I'm getting teary eyed again!

Ugh, this is my fat photo...

Between mile 6 and 18 were uneventful... They were marked by rolling hills (more than I thought) and my beautiful husband who popped up faithfully at mile 9, 14, 17 and 21, I think? Thank goodness he did undergrad at Sac State. He says he knows Sacramento like the back of his hand! I really did love the crowd support. For a small race, the cheering squads were frequent and ardent. It was great. Early on with my slow start, I was skeptical about a sub 4 finish. But as more miles were behind me and more consistent my pace was very consistent, I knew I was going to be close. I was consistently hitting 9:00 min pace! After the half way point, I decided to kick up the notch a little bit and I think i was running about 8:50 pace. I was even thinking I might even finish sub 3:50!

Me on the far left of the photo...

Oh and this is my first marathon in a running skirt and I LOVED it!! I didn't feel tired until about mile 20. But once the wall hit, I was really tired. I remember seeing Duane around mile 21 telling him I was really really tired. And that I had to go to the bathroom! (Actually, I had the urge to go #2 starting around mile 8!) I knew I had to run and not stop. No matter what. i knew I was so close to my goal. I knew I had all the time to rest and relax AFTER the race. Mile 22 to 26 were sheer torture. I think I even slowed down to a 10:30 pace for a mile or two. I don't even know how I got there but finally I was down to the numbered streets. Counting the street numbers from 51st to 8th was again, sheer torture. At each mile marker they shouted out my pace and race time, I knew if i kept up my pace of 9:10 ish, I knew I could finish sub 4. I don't know how I put one foot in front of the other but somehow, I got to the end. I saw Duane about quarter of a mile before the finish and I knew I had the race in the bag. And when I approach the finish line and saw that I was STILL under 4 hours, I was elated. It took every ounce of energy to pick up the little pace I had left in me. I crossed the finish line with so much emotion. I can't even tell you how proud I was of myself. I saw my coach and training group. They were all clapping for me. Wow. So that's what it feels like...

26th Annual California International Marathon Finisher Medal

I still can't believe I ran a sub 4 hour marathon. With a 10 lb weight gain, I still ran 11 minutes faster than the SFM. So I know I can't use my weight as an excuse to run slow anymore. Now, for 2009. I just signed up for the Kaiser Permanente Half Marathon on Feb 1 since the Surf City Marathon is officially sold out. And then, maybe Napa Valley Marathon on March 1st. I'm thinking, if I lose that extra 10 lbs, I can shave off another 9 minutes. *wink*

I have now finished 6 marathons and one under 4 hours.

I know I can do anything I put my mind to. It's official!!

I did it!!! (Drum roll please!! )

California International Marathon is officially over!! And yours truly did not BQ (or BBQ for Mica, hehe) . But that's ok. Because I PR'd by 10 minutes!!! AND, that would make it a sub 4 hour finish! I made my goal:

3:59:10

This is only gun time!!! Chip time not available, yet! I just barely squeaked by! But it's still under 4 hours! I am hoping it is something like 3:58:XX. :-)

I am really tired right now but off to a baby shower... Planning on taking long nap in the car, on our way back down to the Bay Area.

THANK YOU for all your support and encouragement.. I am so happy that I got sub 4 hour finish, finally! Duane was amazing cheering me on every few miles or so handing my my Gu and water. And I LOVED seeing Maritza and Tara on the course, like 3 times! You guys really helped push me to the finish line. You two are the best cheerleaders!! Thank you!

And congrats to Aron who PR'd by 20 minutes and to Leslie to BQ'd!!!! It was also lovely meeting Stacey, KK and Leslie for the first time. Can't wait to read the all the race reports!

I really hope we stop at In-n-Out Burger on our way home!

Oh and a full race report coming soooooon with lots of pictures!!

TIaRT: The Ultimate Dream... BQ & Boston

Yes, I am going to be THAT predictable. My wildest running wish is to qualify for the Boston Marathon one day. As of next year, my Boston qualifying time will increase by 5 minutes. Which means, I will need to finish a marathon under 3:45! This is a dream that is actually somewhat within my reach. A few months ago, I ran the SFM with my best time of 4:09. That is only 24 minutes away from BQ. Ok, 24 minutes is a distance that is practically equal to what people refer to as "light year" in space for me... But then, it's a WISH, after all. My wish. And I really would to run the CIM under 4 hours this Sunday. I'd be completely and utterly content (and happy) with a 3:59:59 finish time! That just brings me that much closer to BQ! And of course, I want to BQ and actually RUN the Boston Marathon! One day. Seriously... ONE DAY!

Ok, so it might not be very realistic to run a sub 4 hour marathon this Sunday... BUT, I can still hope. And try my best. I can't believe the CIM is this Sunday. Wow. I am so excited and already proud of myself. I know, I haven't even run the race, yet. But, I am really proud of me. Another 26.2 marathon under my belt. I'm getting emotional just thinking about crossing the finish line. AND, there is so much potential this weekend. The course is much easier than the SFM, relatively easier overall! I could potentially PR. Or maybe not, considering I have gained about 8 lbs since the SFM. Damn all that post-wedding pigging out. *sigh*

But, all the training (and the chaffing, blisters and aches/pains) will be worth it when I run that marathon and cross that finish line. Sure, I want to PR and finish sub 4 hours but... I'll be happy with finish the race no matter what. Because, I absolutely love running and running marathons! :-)

You guys are really good for my ego. Thank you for all the wonderful compliments about me and Duane!!

Side note: Please check out The Runners Lounge and their weekly Take It and Run Thursday community blog posts. They are SO fun. :-)

SV Turkey Trot 10k Report

So Duane and I drove down to my parent's house in San Jose Wednesday night so that we could take full advantage of the Silicon Vally Turkey Trot 10k, which was just 15 minutes away in Downtown SJ. We got up early Thursday morning and after Duane put the turkey in the BBQ (see post below for the Thanksgiving feast recap) we got dressed for the race.

Here's our race bibs and d-tags!

Egads, I am so not cute without make up! Now you see who I need my full-on mask?

The race was really fun! I heard about 8000 people came out for the turkey trot! Holy cow. And it showed, it was crowded! (I thought this was supposed to be a local race with a small turn out?? I was soooo wrong!) And there were so many categories of races ranging from the Family Fun Run 5k/10k to the CEO Races to Elite 5k. This was our first 10k and was excited to be part of the race. Duane and I did not want to get out of bed but I kept reminding myself of the all the extra servings of food I was going to consume that day. That made it a whole lot easier to get up and go.

Thank goodness it was only a 10k! It was definitely easier than 26.2 miles. :-) We did have a few mishaps, like someone kicking my Nike+ Sensor off my shoes (less than a quarter mile after the start), which is secured by a bozzee. I had to run back a few yards to retrieve it and re-secure it between my laces. Funny enough, Duane also lost his Nike+ Sensor which he keeps in his shoe/key pouch (on top of his shoe)! He lost his once we both started sprinting toward the finish line. It's happened once before where the Velcro strap gets loose! Even with these minor mishaps, we were able to finish in good time! The race was relatively flat with a few rolling hills and a few places where the road narrowed so much it didn't accommodate the large number of racers very well. The 5k and the 10k intertwined a few times and every time the two races intersected again it became a zoo. Especially with all the strollers and walkers. There was a few times where I thought I needed to adjust my pace to slow down but maintained a good pace for most of the race. I finished feeling I could have run it a bit harder!

Which also means I could have run it faster but still happy with the chip time. Duane and I were shooting for sub 1 hour finish and we were well within our goal! Now if I can only keep this pace up during the marathon on Sunday...

Me-
Chip Time: 54:26
Pace: 8:46/M

Duane-
Chip Time: 54:42
Pace: 8:49/M
(He was a little bit behind me when we crossed because he went to retrieve his pouch!)

Woohooo for our 10k PR! Well, it's our first 10k so it's definitely a PR for us. :-)

The best race shirt ever! Super soft organic cotton! My favorite race cotten t-shirt so far.

Duane and me modeling our shirts. Which we ended up sporting the whole day. My family totally made fun of us! (Not that I cared!)

Wish I had race photos to share with you but I didn't bring my camera with me to the Turkey Trot! :-(

Oh and *gulp*! Less than 5 days to go until the CIM! I have quite a few things going on this week. I'm in Portland for a few days for work and get back Thursday night, my baby sister and her fiance comes in for the weekend from Riverside on Friday for a visit, Saturday is the Lollipop Fun Run 5k (for Girls on the Run) in San Francisco and Sunday is the CIM!! Then, I have to rush down to the Bay Area again for Duane's cousin's baby shower. *deep breath* I'm doing my final taper runs on the treadmill at the hotel, too. Ugh. Anyway, more thoughts on the race to come...

Ps. I'm really behind on catching up on my blog reading... I have a PMP Exam next Friday and have been busy studying. (And very likely to be even more missing in action next week!) That's Project Management Professional Certification Exam, not the PIMP Exam. ;-)

Thanksgiving Recap!

Hope all of you had a great Thanksgiving with your loved ones and ate a belly full of good food. I sure did. Our family gathering was smaller than usual but still carried on our usual family traditions. Eat Thanksgiving lunch like you've been starving and then graze through the rest of the day. Repeat at dinner. :-)

One notable part in the evening was during the blessing of the food. An uncle who speaks passable English with a thick Korean accent was chosen to say the prayer and here's a snipet (which I remember quite clearly): ". . . Thank you for the family that gathered here today and for those that prepared the food, please give them big breasts . . ."

Um, yeah, you can imagine the stifled giggles and squeaks that escaped out of my young cousin's lips. Especially the uncle's daughter who is in her mid 30s! What he MEANT to say was "blessings" but maybe in his nervousness it came out as "bresses" which REALLY did sound like "breasts"!! (My uncle is not a pervert! At least, not that one...) At the "kids" table, we all had a good laugh. I really hope God hears my uncles prayers and grants them to me!!

Which is quite a good transition because I actually prepared 2 dishes! The Low-Carb Pumpkin Cheesecake and Sugar-Free Cranberry Chutney did turn out really well! For those of you looking for the recipes, here you go!

Low-Carb Pumpkin Cheesecake Recipe
Sugar-Free Cranberry Chutney Recipe

And also, photos to show you what the final product looked like!

This looks like it came out of a food magazine, doesn't it? ;-)

Camera setting not so good on this one...

I wasn't able to find any whole frozen or canned cranberries so I used a whole cranberry sauce that comes in a can. I didn't realize that the sauce has sugar already! Good thing I decided to use very little sugar substitute, instead of what the recipe recommended. So, as you can imagine, the chutney turned out a bit too sweet but still good! The cheesecake was really really good! And considering half of the adults in my family are diabetic, the cheesecake turned out to be a great alternative to regular pumpkin pie!

On a side note, this whole cooking thing is a big deal for me. I mean, I don't cook. God bless (or breast) my husband who does most of the cooking!!

Me and my proud Cranberry Chutney!

Oh and the smoked turkey also turned out wonderful!! Here's Duane prepping the turkey and wrapping it in foil for the BBQ...

Duane buttering up the turkey midway through... (Then he covered it with the lid.)

All done and yummified!

I had no idea you needed to cook the turkey all wrapped up in foil and via indirect heat. While we were gone during our Turkey Trot, my dad to had to check in on it every 45 min to an hour to make sure the coals were ok and still hot. Apparently, you have to add some to make sure they were going strong. That turkey must have been on the BBQ for good 7 hours! The smoked turkey was one of the best I've ever had. Super juicy and tasty! Thank goodness Duane likes to cook because he also contributed the stuffing and the ham.

My mom make her famous Crispy Chicken, Korean BBQ and Japchae, along with the usual Korean side dishes. Yeah, we get the best of both worlds! My mom thinks I got helluva husband. ;-)

Oh and the SV Turkey Trot 10k run recap will be in my next post...