Hawai'i Part Two

Click on over to the Runner's Lounge Open Mic Friday....!!!

Super big Mahalos for all the comments on the Maui HM recap. Thanks for piling on the Aloha spirit! You all are so sweet. You make my day :)

Part Two will be non-running related, but full of activity! James and I wanted to kind of take a break from running on this trip and enjoy all the other activities we can ONLY do in Hawai'i. And let me tell you, every day was filled with activity! (and lots of photos)

let's see. First, there was THE hike: the Hawaii Loa Ridge Trail.
I've actually done this hike with James a couple of years ago. It's a beautiful hike.... but it damn nearly killed me! I was huffin' and puffin' and sweatin', and barely crawled to the top. But you know me. I love a good challenge. So I was ready to tackle it again.

just getting started

I told you it was beautiful!

The first half of the hike is pretty mellow. There are actually as many descents as climbs, as you hike past beautiful green vegetation. There's enough shade to protect you from the brutal sun, but it's still friggin hot. Sweat was gushing down from every pore on my body. At one point, I thought there was a bug crawling up my armpit. I got all freaked out, only to discover it was only a bead of sweat. I'm such a tough chick, I know.

The second half of the hike is when things get gnarly. It's steep. It's slippery. It's hot. There's plants to walk through. And then, there are the stairs. Oh, the stairs. They are brutal. Some of the steps are as tall as my waist. It's no easy task, I'm telling you.

As I was climbing, I kept telling myself "Yes, this is hard, but just keep going till the hard part. You can rest at the hard part." I kept waiting for the brutal part, the hard part, the part where I just want to cry. I kept climbing, kept waiting, till suddenly:
What....????!!!!
We were already at the top! WTF????!!!! Where'd the hard part go?
James kindly reminded me that the last time I hiked this trail, I was not yet a runner. "You mean.... all this marathon training has helped make this hike easier...???"
"Yup."
Wow. Score!!!!

The TMZ crew followed up to the top to snap our photos. We're rock stars, don't you know?

The view from the top makes the work worthwhile. It is breathtaking. Photos don't do it justice.

Alright. Let's move on to activity number two: Kayaking.

I love me some kayaking. It's like killing three birds with one stone. You get to enjoy the ocean. You get to work on your tan. You get a killer workout.

We launched our kayaks at Lanikai beach, and paddled out to the two Mokulua islands you can see in the photo below.

Lanikai beach is simply amazing. The Travel Channel even named it the most beautiful beach in Hawai'i. The pure white sand is as soft as can be. The water is a maze of different shades of blue and turquois. And there aren't that many tourists. If someone wants to buy me a house here.... I would love you forever!!!!



We paddled to the island on the right first, and then to the bigger island on the left, and made our way back to shore. Kayaking does wonders for my shoulders and core muscles, esp my obliques. I wish I lived in Hawai'i so I could kayak more often! (le sigh... one of the many reasons why I daydream of moving to the islands.... like everyday.... lol)
I was really hoping I'd see a honu, but looking at the pretty ocean was exciting enough for this old gal.

Other non-running activities included my first open water swim! On my second attempt, (in my bikini, mind you) I found out I swam a whole mile! It was broken up into two halves, but still! I had no idea I could swim that far, and in an ocean too! Granted, there were hardly ANY waves or currents at Ala Moana beach, but still! I thought I was only capable of swimming 200 meters, so a whole mile was a HUUUUUGE confidence booster :)

We also played a lot of Wii Fit. At first, I resisted playing, cause, you know, I'm a lady and video games are for little boys. But dude. That thing is fun. :)

Recapping Hawai'i stories is making me miss the islands so much. I wish I were still there, eating the delicious foods, soaking up the sun, the slow driving speeds...

Stay tuned for Part Three, which will be about running, and will feature a super exciting story!

Maui Half Marathon Recap

This is part one of my recap of my trip to paradise. (Hawai'i.... oh how I miss you so!)

Part one will cover the Maui Half Marathon!

Soooo where should I start.... Hmmm. We arrived in Oahu on Thursday evening, and spent Friday chillaxin on the North Shore. On Saturday morning, James and I headed to the airport to board the flight to Maui. (A big shout out to James' mom for driving us!)

On board the flight, we were treated to a special treat. Two (maybe three) guys pulled out their ukes and started singing these lovely Hawaiian songs in amazing falsetto voices. Side note: Hawaiian music is my ABSOLUTE favorite! These guys were amazing, and definitely made the entire half hour plane ride an enjoyable one. 

From the airport we drove west to Kaanapali, where the race was to be held. (Incidentally, the route we drove was the exact route the full marathoners ran). The drive to Kaanapali was one of the most beautiful routes I have ever been on. Jamming to Jawaiian music and seeing the gorgeous blue ocean.... oh man, it was one of those moments that made me so happy to be alive :)

en route to Kaanapali

Once we got to Kaanapali, we headed straight to the expo. I found the expo to be disappointingly small. There weren't any vendors there I was interested in, but I got some supplement samples and Bubba Gump lip balm (score!) Also disappointing was that we found out that we were not going to have timing chips for this race. Apparently, they had run out. They had also run out of racing bibs, so lots of people (including James) got an assortment of bibs from past races. I found this to be quite odd: why wouldn't an established race order enough bibs?????? How could you be short by several hundred? Weird. 

The starting and finishing area. I run slippers. Don't you? 

Since conserving energy for the big race the next morning was our main priority, we just chilled for the rest of the day, chilling in the ocean a bit, eating enough carbs (and no fiber! very important advice for pre-race prep), and admiring the sunset from the hotel balcony. 

And I set up all the running gear for the next morning on the spare bed. We got to sleep on the king sized bed, of course. Must get our beauty rest!

Racing bibs; check!

HRM; check!

Race nutrition; check!

Rasta sweatbands; check! (totally got this idea from Trials of Training! thanks!)

Body Glide; check!

Clothes; check!

Garmie; Check!

Ibuprofen; check!

Since roll call was 5:30 am, we hit the sack by 7 pm and was up by 3:30 am. This gave us enough time to take silly pre-race pics, thoroughly warm up, and PUMPED for the race. Oh and eat and drink some cafe. 


Pre-Race:

When we got to Whaler's Village (the starting point) something unusual happened. There was an announcement that the computer system had crashed the night before, and they lost all the bib numbers and names. They had ALL of the half marathon runners line up to double check and re-enter the correct names and bib numbers into the system. I found this to be odd as well. I wonder if they got all of the runners? But since people had all sorts of different bibs, I don't know how accurate they really were. 

Before the race was an aerobics class demo and a Hawaiian fire dancer. I couldn't see any of it. Only the two front rows could see anything. I found this to be odd thing #3. Why didn't they have a stage for the performers, or at least have them perform on the side so that more people could see?

The race started 5 min late as well, but at least we were off!

The Race:

It was still dark when the race started, and I couldn't see my Garmin at all. My strategy was to take is kind of slow for the first two miles and then pick up. I was not afraid to pass people in the first few minutes, like I was in the first HM. I think I was running at around 9 min miles for the first mile. I ran with James to the mile 1 marker, and he took off. I continued at my slower pace for a little bit, and tried not to go out too fast. 

The first 20 min or so was a slight decline. I got scared, since that also meant the last 20 min would be a slight incline. (it was an out and back race). But I tried not to let it intimidate me and kept going. 

Soon, the sky started to get lighter. As we ran past some homes, I think we woke up all the neighborhood dogs and roosters! I even shouted out loud 'good morning to you too!' to one of the roosters, lol. 

Most of the course was along the coast, and all of the aid stations were playing music. I looooooved all the aloha spirit the volunteers were spreading. It made the race so enjoyable, and the pain of running more tolerable. 

At mile 4 was a big aid station with tons of LOUD music, spectators, and an announcer cheering each and every racer on. That was a MUCH needed boost of motivation!

I tried to pick up my pace around this point by running fast to a random object in front of me, and then catching my breath until another object, and repeat repeat. This got me into a nice rhythm and the time flew by. 

 

Mile 5.5 to the mid point was downhill, so again, I got scared about the return, but kept plugging. After the turn around point, I started following the footsteps of a girl who was going sub 8 min miles. I followed her for about a half mile, but had to drop behind. That is waaaayyy too fast for me to sustain for another 10k! 

So I played this game where I would run my heart out for three cone lengths (about .2 to .25 miles) and then jog for one cone length. I kept this rhythm up for who knows how long. It got me in such a trance that I didn't even notice the incline I was so nervous about. 

It also felt good that at the 10 mile point, I was still lapping people. It made me feel super fast! :) Much needed motivation boost number 2.

I also said thank you to each and every volunteer I passed. It really made me happy to partake in the aloha spirit. I also know how much work it is to volunteer (from the time I volunteered at the SB Triathlon), so I wanted to let them know I appreciated their kindness. Plus, most of them were kids, who were so sincerely encouraging.

Mile 11 and 12 were hard. The sun was now beating down HARD, and my legs were seriously tired. I just wanted the race to be over so bad! But I just kept going and going and going. When I finally caught a glimpse of the finish, I was ecstatic! And when I looked at Garmy, I also realized I had a chance of beating my goal time! I also saw James (who had finished a whopping 15 min earlier in his FIRST HM!) and he cheered me on, saying Krispy Kreme! Krispy Kreme! (That's where we were going to go post race to celebrate). I gave it EVERYTHING I had for the last two min or so, and finally crossed the finish line! Woo hoo!

I am sooooooo excited to report that I beat my previous HM time by 7 minutes, and beat my goal time by 49 seconds, and beat my goal pace by 2 seconds! YAAAAY! 

But, I could not have been more relieved to be finished though, not gonna lie. The elusive runner's high never happened, and it was SO HOT outside. I just wanted to eat and sit down! haha. 




I would like to say a HUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGE congrats to James, who totally kicked some serious ass in his first HM. Not only did he finish at an amazing time of 1hr 39 min, but he placed 3rd in his age group!

Woooo hoooo! Way to go James! 

(not gonna lie, I was kinda jealous! haha. But I did well too, placing 5th in my age group! and 32nd female out of 800)

sooooo tired.....

Cheerleaders cheering us on to the finish line

Reggae band at the finish line

Yay for finishing!

James and his third place award.

Battle wounds (no, those aren't my feet! They're James')

After the awards ceremony we headed to recover in the ocean. Nothing like salt water to help you heal, right? The swim was soooo relaxing, and the no-gravity thing felt amazing for my tired legs. 

After a good swim, and a shower later, we headed into town for Krispy Kreme donuts (omg they were amazing! Esp the pineapple fritter.....ohhhh so good and so guilt free after a HM!) and some lunch. 

Then it was a quick hop, skip, and a jump over the islands and back to Oahu. 

It was such an amazing experience to be able to go to Maui with James and experience a Half Marathon together. I'm so glad all of our training paid off and we were both able to have a strong finish. And my tendonitis gave me almost no trouble at all! (score!) 

Maui was so beautiful, the ocean was so warm and amazing, and the sky was so blue and inviting. I have no idea when I'll be back, but I sure hope it won't be too long!

I'm baaack!

Wow. Long time, no see folks. Sorry I have been completely MIA. I have been enjoying my time in paradise a bit too much, I guess! :)
I will be back later today with a post and tooons of photos!
Lots of exciting stories! (well... exciting for a grandma like me)
Smiles,
Julia

Aloooooha!

I am off to Hawai'i and I am sooooo excited to get away! The last week has been a nightmare (hence the lack of postings) but I hope to feel rejuvenated with this vacay! I hope to do a real post very soon!

Half Marathon on Sunday!!!!!

Aloha!

My ode to running

When life gives you lemons sh!t, put on your sneakers.

Maybe it's the old, familiar trail. Maybe it's the dirt path. Maybe it's the faint smell of horse manure, or the salty smell of the ocean breeze. 

Maybe it's the bluffs fading into the blue horizon. Maybe it's the rhythmic cycle of the waves drowning out my thoughts. Maybe it's the constant swishing of water in my bottle. 

Maybe it's the blinding sun. Maybe it's the hypnotic sound of my own breath. Maybe it's the ever constant pounding of ground underneath me. 

Maybe it's the sweat burning in my eyes, the people I pass, or the same old trees I've run by for years. 

As the miles go by, there is no fear, no anger, no joy, no happiness, no worries. Only the pure animal instinct to live, to be free, to move. To run. 

Only my deep, hungry gasps for air. Only the certainty of my ponytail bouncing against my neck. Only me and the wind. 

6 miles of therapy. 

A Thong Review

Oh no, ew! Not that kind of a thong! Get your dirty mind out of the gutter!

I'm talking about thong sandals, silly rabbit! You know... flip flops?! :)

Thank you to all the amazing bloggers out there for the valuable suggestions on supportive flip flops. With your recommendations, I finally dragged my stingy a$ to the REI store to replace my Havianas.

So what are my lucky feet wearing these days?

The Keen Bree Thong!

You can visit the Keen website here.

I immediately knew that I wanted these flip flops as soon as my feet slipped into them. What makes this sandal special is the superb cushioning. According to the website, the cushioning is a "blend of recycled PU, cork and memory foam that contours to feet and adjusts to give you the cushioning you need throughout your day." It's soft, cushy, and provides ample support for my arches.

To me, the arch support is the most vital aspect of this sandal. Sure, my pink Havianas are cute, but the thin, flat rubber does nothing to support and protect my feet. As my running mileage has crept up, taking good care of my feet has become a big concern of mine, for obvious reasons. And since flip flops are as ubiquitous as palm trees, fake tans and fake boobs in southern CA, I needed to find me a great pair. (A pair of flip flops, you silly goose! NOT a pair of implants! Sheesh! :)

The Keen Bree thong has a nice thick sole, so I think it will last me a long time. And for being the supportive sandal that it is, it's not too heavy at all. I've gone on numerous half hour walks in these slippers, and my feet/legs do not hurt at all. They have not given me any blisters either. No breaking in required.

Pros:

• Very supportive and the cushioning is extremely comfortable .
• Comes in many cute colors: Black, Carribean Sea, Inca Gold, Amaranth, and Oak Street
• Doesn't look too "grandma", like other supportive sandals
• Made of durable leather
• Non-marking rubber outsole
• My black color matches with any outfit
  

Cons:

• $$ Pricey. Suggested retail is $75. I got mine on sale for $49.99
• They run a little bit narrow

I don't have any other complaints with the sandals. They are comfy, and I am loving it! And I am stoked I will have a nice pair of flip flops to wear in Hawai'i! (Or slippers, as they're called over there) Again, thank you so much for helping me choose such a great pair!

In other Chocolate Shoestrings news, I finally have presentable hair now. Over the weekend, I dyed my hair a dark brown, and last night I gave myself a hair cut.

Yup. You read that right. I cut my own hair. I know that may sound shocking to some, but that is how cheap I am. I just cannot justify spending hundreds of $ and wasting a whole 2 hours at the salon. (I mean, it cuts into my training time!) I've been dying my own hair now for quite a while, and I've had good luck with all the brands and products I've tried. As for the cut, I just took a pair of scissors and went to town on it. I thinned out my hair and took off a good two inches. And I love it! My head feels so much lighter, and my ponytails are much more manageable (important for those runs!). And the best thing is, it was absolutely free and it only took me 10 minutes! Yippee! I'm quite proud of myself and just had to share :)

Haha. Ok. Hopefully I will have some more exciting running news to share with you all tomorrow. But in the meantime, have a splendid Wednesday! It's 09/09/09 today, so don't forget to make a special wish! (like a new PR, perhaps?)

A shocking(?) Discovery

Only four more days till the weekend. Glorious.

I pretty much had the most productive weekend ever. It went like this:

runwalkvacuumcarwashwindowspackmopdyehairruncookswimclean and scrub.

What, you don't like to spend your holidays scrubbing the walls?
haha. But I'm telling you. Mr. Magic Clean is pretty much the sh!t :)

Oh, and who knew cleaning your house could burn as many calories as a 10 mile run? (yes I am a dork and I wore my HRM while cleaning.)

So last week was a new record for me:

A new total weekly mileage PR and a new Long Run PDR!

James and I successfully ran our first 14 miler on Sunday, and my knee miraculously did not hurt! I felt a twinge once or twice, but it didn't last long, and there was no remaining residual pain! I'm very relieved; looks like I'll be fine for the Maui Half Marathon in ...gasp! 11 days! I have just uno mas long run left before heading off to Hawai'i. I don't know if its better to run 16 miles, or try running a fast 10-13 miles to fine tune my pace for the race. What would you do?

Since I was able to sum up my weekend in basically one sentence, I have some space left to share with you my latest discovery. It's something I had been suspecting for a few weeks now, and I finally got a confirmation on it.

I don't need stability shoes. I need neutral shoes.

I know your jaws are probably dropping to the ground right now. Julia.... how could you not have known??? That is such a rookie mistake!

Honestly, I don't really know. When I asked my PT what he thought of my feet, he said "Your left foot overpronates," without even watching me walk, move, or most importantly, RUN! But I never questioned him, and since then, I have been wearing stability shoes. However, that's also when all my feet/toe woes started. It basically feels like my feet have been rolled outward so that I am running on my pinky toe and the outer arch of my feet. The outer edges of my shoes are worn, while the inner part remains untouched.

A quick trip to the running store and a walking gait test later, it's been determined I need a NEUTRAL shoe, because I have only the slightest bit of pronation. Ah ha! I knew it.
So I tried on a few pairs, and I am thinking about going with the Mizuno Wave Rider 12.
Has anyone tried this shoe? Any thoughts? I would love to hear any good/bad dish you have about the shoe before I make the decision. Muchos Gracias.

I hope everyone had a splendid weekend! And the next one is only four more days away. I love having Tuesdays be Mondays. It puts me in such a wonderful mood :) Such a good mood that I almost had ice cream with breakfast. Ahhh! haha so bad. I know. So I resisted. But I most definitely was tempted!

Now if you will excuse me, I have to find my way back to the Rookie Runners Club :)

Woah, Hello There A$$

Who's ready for a three day weekend!!!!!
Guess who's stoked for a three day weekend??!!
Time to Paaaarrrr-ttaaayyyy :)
(or, in my case, time to run a 14 miler!)
((That counts as a party, right?))

Well, you are probably wondering why I am talking about a$$es so early in the morning. It's because I am strangely attracted to butts, for the last couple of times I've been at the gym, I've been noticing some wacky people. Now I am a fairly open minded person and I try very hard not to be judgmental. Esp at the gym, of all places. I mean, hey, at least they are working out, right?

I present to you: Top 5 wacky gym patrons

(Please note that I use the word wacky as a euphemism for "annoying as heck")

(also note, please don't get too offended! )

1) "Let me see that thong".....
I know the gym isn't a place to be concerned about fashion/looks, etc. You're there to work up a sweat. I get it. I wear old t-shirts and mismatching socks to the gym. It's hard enough to even get to the gym. But PLEEEEAAAASSSEEE. If you are gonna wear Skintight spandex, please wear a thong, or at least some seamless underwear! I find it extremely distracting to continue ellipticalling when you bend down to stretch, thrust your a$$ up in my face, and I have nothing to stare at except the expanse of panty lines BULGING out from underneath your skintight shorts. Oh man. I mean, if you're Adrianna Lima or Doutzen Kroes (hello, girl crush!), MAYYYBE you could pull off that look. Every one else, let's try to remember Stacey's tip from What Not to Wear: No visible panty lines! This applies to the gym as well, in my opinion.

2) This isn't the Ritz Carlton lounge pool....
I guess this isn't obvious to some people, but the pool at the GYM, that has LANES, and people doing LAPS in them, is meant for SWIMMING. It's not a place to flaunt your newest skanky bikini find, show off your gigantor expensive sunglasses, dip your toes in the water, and try to use the kickboard without getting your hair wet. Esp when people are waiting to get into a lane to swim. I'm sure the lifeguards at the Ritz would love to drool over your designer bikinis.

3)Deodorant, what's that?
This one's self explanatory. I'm sure we've all encountered the person sweating away on the elliptical. The smell is so toxic it is not humanly safe to step within 6 feet from this person. You are forced to find another elliptical in the oppostite corner of the gym, and drats, this one doesn't come with a TV attachment. Modern technology is amazing. A little underarm care can go a loooooong way. I mean, I'm fine if you like the smell of your own BO and all. If that's what you're into, that's cool. Just don't expect me to partake in your enjoyment. I really don't want to join in on your BO party. If you're gonna be in a public space, please just swipe on some of that Old Spice. Heck, if you don't even want to invest in a whole bottle of deo, you can buy trial sizes at the grocery store for 99 cents. Seriously. Do you really want to be remembered at your gym as "that guy"?

4) Step away from that cell phone
Really? Really? Are you really going to talk on the cell phone on the treadmill/stationary bike/elliptical? Really?

5) That really fit, pretty, strong girl who looks great in her shorts.
Gahhhhh. You make me soooo jealous!!!! lol.

I hope I wasn't too mean! But surely, I'm not the only one who has encountered these wacky people? Or is my gym some sort of mecca for body odor loving, bikini clad cell phone talkers?

So I guess you can tell what I've been doing for the last couple of days: weights and swimming. Both fairly standard, uneventful workouts. I was able to increase the weights I use for some of my workouts, so I am happy that I am getting stronger.

I hope everyone has a GREEEAAATTT weekend filled with running, good company, some rest, and some yummy grub! And if you are in the mood for a good laugh, visit THIS website. It is phenomenal. Trust me. You will not regret it :)

Cheers, everyone!

How to fart and run at the same time... or not

First of all, thank you soooo much for your encouraging words about my knee. I can't tell you how much it lifts my spirits to read all your comments! It helps me remember not to be too hard on myself; which is something I am trying not to do. So thank you so much for your support and for putting a smile on my face! :)

I was able to run a successful, pain free, albeit super slow, 6.3 miles yesterday. I finished in barely under an hour. In my mind I was flying through the air like a gazelle on crack, but in reality, it felt like I was trekking through a massive pool of honey. It's amazing to me how one week I can bust out sub-9 minute miles, and then the next, I can barely run 10 min miles. The body is such a fascinating thing.

Well.... I guess not everything the body is capable of doing is a pleasant thing. Case in point, I was plagued by a case of Gassius Fartitis on yesterday's run. And yes, that is totally a medical term, look it up! (haha, ok, ok, I kid) But hey, I'm not embarrassed to admit that I had HORRID gas. I don't know where it came from, but it was seriously uncomfortable! My tummy felt as blown up as a balloon at Disney Land, and I literally had to stop numerous times to um.... how do I put this elegantly.... "let 'er rip"...... I am not talented enough (yet) to multitask. I mean, I can talk and run simultaneously... but I am going to need more practice with this issue. The stopping thing kinda makes it obvious... like that scene from I Love You, Man Thank the heavens that I was NOT running on a treadmill in the gym! Since I was outside with no one around me, I could toot my horn to my heart's contempt. (Althought I did always look behind me to see if anyone was there to make sure to avoid an embarassing situation!) hmmmm... now that I think about it, I'm suprised I didn't think twice about eating beans for dinner after that ordeal! haha.

Yeah, I know. This is total TMI territory. Have you ever had to deal with uncomfortable/embarassing body issues while running? At least I didn't crap my pants......that would have been special.

Looking Back on my August Training

Pinch, punch, first day of the month!
I am sooooo happy it's finally September. Only 17 more days till I am embraced by the warm sunshine that is Hawai'i. I am so unfrickinbelievably excited.

August Training:
I'm gonna be straight up honest here: August training did NOT go as planned. I'm not too bummed out about it; but I am worried that perhaps I have hindered my rate of progress, by missing so many miles. I was supposed to have run 110-120 miles this month. I only managed to run 77.1 miles. That's a 40 mile difference. I wonder how much of a difference those miles would have made on my running.

The first two weeks started off great; accomplishing three training milestones. I even got to the point of calling a 6 miler an easy run! I felt like I was on top of it all; I could tell I was getting stronger, both cardiovascularly and muscularly. I even scored a new 10K PR of 49 minutes and 9 seconds and placed third in my age group for a prize of free ice cream!

Then I got the bad news on the 18th: Tendinitis. That really threw me for a loop, both mentally and physically. At first, the physical pain was so bad, that I wasn't even thinking straight about what it would mean for my future in training. But as reality sank in a little, I realized I was only 5 weeks out from the Maui Half Marathon, and I would be sidelined from running JUST as it became CRUCIAL to fit in quality training runs!

I mean, NOT being able to run is hard enough mentally, but knowing that this hiatus could potentially cost me a new PR made me so frustrated. I wanted to just go out there and bust out those repeats on the treadmill, bust out those 14 milers, and bust through my old PR. I had to completely refrain from running for 8 whole days, and only managed 16 EEEAAAASSSSYYYY miles last week. And let's not even get into the whole pity party I had about the injury, all the disappointment, reassessment of training plans, loss of self confidence, even guilt, this stupid little knee issue put me through.

But with bad news, there is always good news. On the bright side of August training, my swimming improved by leaps and bounds, thanks in part to my new awesome $5.99 swim cap! Swimming became my new favorite mode of cross training. There is something extremely calming about feeling the water on your face, not being able to hear anything, just staring down at the blue line on the bottom, and just swimming lap after lap after lap and literally just drowning all the self doubt in the water. Swimming has been beneficial in maintaining my cardiovascular endurance and in strengthening my arms/shoulders.

In terms of being both good and bad, let's talk nutrition. I really just cannot, for the life of me, find a good nutrition plan and stick to it. Actually, that's not true. I have a good basic nutrition plan. Where the problem lies, is that basically, I get derailed from the plan everytime there are baked goods involved. See, I am like a little kid. I love sweets, and would gladly eat two donuts for dinner instead of salmon and brown rice. My problem is not that I buy these so-called "bad" food items and have them around the house, but that I can't really afford them. So whenever I have an opportunity for free food (office parties, dinner parties, when someone else offers to pay...heehee) I act like I have never seen cookies before, and eat like I'm never going to have another cookie in my life again. And for some reason, there were one too many opportunities for free food. Yeah, that kind of messed me up, coupled with the fact that my training was scaled WAYYYYYYYYYYY down. Oops. Darned Costco cookies!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! lol

Looking ahead:
All I know at this point is that the half marathon is in 19 days, I am leaving for Hawai'i in 16 days, I am moving (this time for real) in 30 days, and the marathon is in 3 months and 5 days. Oh, and I have tendinits. Hmmmmmmmmm.
Honestly, I don't know how I am going to train. Not knowing if my knee can handle it or not makes it difficult to plan. I guess the only viable option right now is to ease back into my previous training intensity/volume. I am really going to focus on stretching and strengthening my quads, swimming when my knee hurts, and trying to fit in runs when I can, even if its only 3 miles.

For some reason, I am not worried about the upcoming marathon at ALL. It's my first one, so I have absolutely NO expectations, no goals, no hopes, no nothing. I don't even care if I don't run the whole thing. All I care is that I finish it and have a good time.
But the Half Marathon. Now THIS I give a sh!t about. I have a record to beat, and I am flying all the way to Maui and paying a lot of $ for crying out loud!

I guess only time will tell. grrr. Stupid Tendinitis! I am trying to stay positive and focus on all the things I AM capable of. It's a new month, a new perspective on training. Time to let go of all that negative energy and focus on the good. I can do this, I can do this, I CAN DO THIS!!

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Before I go though, I just HAVE to show you the coolest thing I have ever seen a real dog do. James' housemate's friend brought over her puppie Jade (yes I know she's huge but she is still a puppy!). She has so many cool tricks up her sleeve paw, such as multi-tasking: chasing her tail and going up the stairs at the same time:


and this one is my favorite: The man and dog chest bump. Jade absolutely LOVES doing this! How friggin adorable is she?