17.21 miles today. Slow and difficult -- average pace in the 11s. Yikes. It is hard to believe that just 2 weeks ago I did a half at a pace of 9:31.
A huge thanks to L for joining me for 5 miles in the middle. It made it so much easier to head out at 7 AM knowing I only had to make it 'til 8:30 before I'd have company for 5 miles and then just 4ish downhill miles from L's house to mine and I'd be done.
As I've said before, I'm a bit skeptical of the FIRST program. 6 weeks before CIM and my weekly mileage is 32.37 and this is one of the heavier weeks I've done, in terms of volume, which just feels wrong. Last time, on the Hansen's plan, week -6 was 47.53 miles, with a long run of 10. I definitely felt that the lack of longer runs on the Hansen's plan was an issue for me on the actual race day. But now, I'm just not sure that trading more longer long runs for less overall volume is a great idea either.
I was supposed to be able to maintain a 9:39 pace for today's 17-miler. In theory, given my recent half, this should have been completely doable. And yet, I struggled the entire time. My digestive system was not happy with me, my stomach was upset, I needed two pitstops, and my legs just felt dead.
I'm hoping part of the issue today is the decreased mileage I subbed in while on vacation and that the benefits from this week kick in before next week's 20 miler. If not, that is going to be an even longer, uglier slog.
October 20, 2012
October 15, 2012
A Place of Refuge
As promised, I got away for a true vacation with E. I told the resorts it was the 10th anniversary of our first date, which I thought was true, but off by about 2 weeks. Only once there, on the ground, at the restaurant and biting into the "Happy Anniversary" cookie, did E inform me that it was almost the 12th anniversary, not the 10th. Go us!
To celebrate, for the 5th time in our relationship, Hawaii functioned as a true "getaway" where we can leave the majority of our worries and stresses in lieu of beautiful weather, views, and an island sense of time that helps to add some clarity on our everyday rush.
In 2004, Hawaii welcomed me with open arms and let me experience cheap adventurous island living during my 1L spring break in both Oahu and the Big Island. E came with me and we had a wonderfully romantic and awesome time.
In 2006, the island of Kauai gave me a week of space to fully relax in the much too short but hugely important week between the year of my dad's cancer, my wedding, and his death (all, obviously, very stressful), and the true beginning of my life as a big firm lawyer (also very stressful, but in a very different way). Kauai & E get credit for filling the empty basin from which I was able to professionally execute that first demanding year as a lawyer despite how broken down and depleted I was.
In 2010, after a difficult year due to brother's health issues and subsequent recovery at our home, we headed to Oahu and started the trip with a sunrise hike up Diamond Head. Views of Waikiki and memories of our Japan trip were everywhere we looked in Honolulu. And then, we finished the trip in the blissful over-the-top indulgence that Maui seems to do best.
In 2011, due to a ridiculous work-life schedule and no joint vacations, E & I opted for an extended weekend trip to Kauai. It was only four nights, and we had to work a bit, but the ambiance, the waves, the weather and everything about it was immensely restorative.
This year, after an even busier work year, we realized that other than a quick weekend date for our wedding anniversary, we'd failed to schedule any trips in the last year where the purpose of the trip was just for us. Work? Family? Friends? Races? Yes, we'd done plenty of travel for all of those. But travel together with a primary goal of relaxing? Nada.
I'm coming to terms with the reality that I'm unable to relax as much as I wish I could at home, but I can when I spend the time, effort, and money to create a true "getaway" for myself that is physically removed from the majority of my obligations. This says some very strong things about my inability to structure my life on the axis that I claim to respect in favor of values and goals I'd like to relegate to a lower status. No matter what I say, the things I do on a regular basis show that I think working, being responsive for clients, and doing a good job as a lawyer are more important than having a well-balanced life. I feel I should take long term steps to address this...
In the meantime, for this year's short term fix (E suffers from a similar problem), we went back to the sure thing and repeated the extended weekend trip to Kauai. Hawaiian hotels/airports/car rentals know their audience. The service is fast and efficient, the Wi-Fi works perfectly, but the weather, nearby attractions, and failing that, the views from the balcony and the drinks delivered beachside are all strong disincentives to minimize the time logged in.
5 days (including flights) and 4 nights of surefire relaxation -- something about this place and minimizing work reminders just slows time down, allows me to read, relax, sleep and focus on the moment. Maybe it's because the moments of each day in Hawaii are often so visually or auditorily stunning that I feel I have no choice but to focus on them. The air... it's so clear. The light...it's so beautiful at each changing hour of the day. And the sound of the surf? Well, that's my favorite noise. Period.
This morning's hike on Nualolo Trail? Empty. Just Kauai, me, E, and finally, a quick good morning and goodbye to a Swiss couple as they headed into the trailhead and we stepped off.
Now that I understand exactly how effective 4 nights in Hawaii is at modifying my stress levels, I may find it entirely too easy to justify additional future trips.
This could be dangerous. Or Good.
To celebrate, for the 5th time in our relationship, Hawaii functioned as a true "getaway" where we can leave the majority of our worries and stresses in lieu of beautiful weather, views, and an island sense of time that helps to add some clarity on our everyday rush.
In 2004, Hawaii welcomed me with open arms and let me experience cheap adventurous island living during my 1L spring break in both Oahu and the Big Island. E came with me and we had a wonderfully romantic and awesome time.
In 2006, the island of Kauai gave me a week of space to fully relax in the much too short but hugely important week between the year of my dad's cancer, my wedding, and his death (all, obviously, very stressful), and the true beginning of my life as a big firm lawyer (also very stressful, but in a very different way). Kauai & E get credit for filling the empty basin from which I was able to professionally execute that first demanding year as a lawyer despite how broken down and depleted I was.
In 2010, after a difficult year due to brother's health issues and subsequent recovery at our home, we headed to Oahu and started the trip with a sunrise hike up Diamond Head. Views of Waikiki and memories of our Japan trip were everywhere we looked in Honolulu. And then, we finished the trip in the blissful over-the-top indulgence that Maui seems to do best.
In 2011, due to a ridiculous work-life schedule and no joint vacations, E & I opted for an extended weekend trip to Kauai. It was only four nights, and we had to work a bit, but the ambiance, the waves, the weather and everything about it was immensely restorative.
This year, after an even busier work year, we realized that other than a quick weekend date for our wedding anniversary, we'd failed to schedule any trips in the last year where the purpose of the trip was just for us. Work? Family? Friends? Races? Yes, we'd done plenty of travel for all of those. But travel together with a primary goal of relaxing? Nada.
I'm coming to terms with the reality that I'm unable to relax as much as I wish I could at home, but I can when I spend the time, effort, and money to create a true "getaway" for myself that is physically removed from the majority of my obligations. This says some very strong things about my inability to structure my life on the axis that I claim to respect in favor of values and goals I'd like to relegate to a lower status. No matter what I say, the things I do on a regular basis show that I think working, being responsive for clients, and doing a good job as a lawyer are more important than having a well-balanced life. I feel I should take long term steps to address this...
In the meantime, for this year's short term fix (E suffers from a similar problem), we went back to the sure thing and repeated the extended weekend trip to Kauai. Hawaiian hotels/airports/car rentals know their audience. The service is fast and efficient, the Wi-Fi works perfectly, but the weather, nearby attractions, and failing that, the views from the balcony and the drinks delivered beachside are all strong disincentives to minimize the time logged in.
5 days (including flights) and 4 nights of surefire relaxation -- something about this place and minimizing work reminders just slows time down, allows me to read, relax, sleep and focus on the moment. Maybe it's because the moments of each day in Hawaii are often so visually or auditorily stunning that I feel I have no choice but to focus on them. The air... it's so clear. The light...it's so beautiful at each changing hour of the day. And the sound of the surf? Well, that's my favorite noise. Period.
This morning's hike on Nualolo Trail? Empty. Just Kauai, me, E, and finally, a quick good morning and goodbye to a Swiss couple as they headed into the trailhead and we stepped off.
Now that I understand exactly how effective 4 nights in Hawaii is at modifying my stress levels, I may find it entirely too easy to justify additional future trips.
This could be dangerous. Or Good.
October 13, 2012
A Unique Perspective
I've listened to many of my friends try to strategize the optimal time to have a baby (assuming you have some control over the situation via the luck of fertility).
All careers and life paths have issues that make it more or less optimal to have a child at a certain point in time.
But I've never thought about the professional female athlete's perspective before.
Thanks to Lauren Fleshman's honest account of her thought process on this topic, I have a very new perspective.
Interesting.
All careers and life paths have issues that make it more or less optimal to have a child at a certain point in time.
But I've never thought about the professional female athlete's perspective before.
Thanks to Lauren Fleshman's honest account of her thought process on this topic, I have a very new perspective.
Interesting.
October 10, 2012
Why, Hello!
It's been a long time since my Garmin clocked a mile (without stopping) with a 7 in the minute place on one of my runs. But tonight's 7:59 before 2 @ ~9:20? I'll take it, Thank you!
I checked my records, and I haven't recorded a full mile at this pace in the last two years.
Memory lane claims the last time I was in this good of speed shape was either:
1. back in June 2011, when I did 13X400 @ sub8 (including a few 7:0X paced offerings) with 200 jogging recovery each interval plus some warm-up and cool-down for a 6.92 mile workout at an average pace of 8:07/mile.
or maybe, if I 'd tried a little harder to go for an even workout, this would be the equivalent of:
2. November of 2011, when I did a 3 mile time test @ 8:22 avg. pace.
In any case, I don't have data for a mile on any run that was sub-8 for a recorded mile in the last 2 years. And, as a middle-aged lady, I'm not gonna lie, that's seriously enouraging. Woo Hoo!
I'm doing a FIRST-inspired training plan for CIM this time around. I'm skeptical. But I read the studies and the book. Despite my doubt at the low mileage, the very targeted training segments supposedly work wonders for people like me (who can't afford to re-arrange their life around running). That's why I picked it and scheduled it 6 months ago.
But, my doubts tell me it can't be possible that I can hit my goal of sub 4h on a maximum running mileage of less than 35 miles per week and only running 3 days per week.
I've been following the plan somewhat less than religiously (adding runs when I want them and decreasing the paces when they seem too aggressive), and even so, I'm faster than I've been in a long time in terms of my ability to just run fast and feel comfortable.
Given that comfort, I decided to try to hit 9:09 miles on my half this last weekend. Typically, at this point in my marathon training a 2h (9:09/mi) marathon would be reasonable, but then again, I'm also usually hitting well above 35-40 miles per week in my training, whereas this time around, I've barely cleared 30. FIRST claimed I should shoot for 13 at 9:39 and that I'd still be able to get to 4h at the marathon if I continued to follow their plan. But, I've been so much faster on the short painful efforts, I figured I could go for 9:09, which I've hit so easily before at this point in the cycle. Final result? 9:31/mile.
Okay, fine. Maybe they know what they are doing.
So, I've decided to stick it out, finish their plan as best I can and see what the results show. I'd love it if I actually broke 4 hours in the marathon on their plan (which is what I originally designed it to do). At this point in the training schedule, emotionally, I just can't believe it would be possible. I underestimated how strong the knowledge that I'm *always* running over 40 miles/week at this point in the training schedule would make me distrust this plan come week -7. Everything I know about running (which is not much) says I need to run many more than the prescribed miles on this plan.
On the other hand, there are only 3 running workouts I have to do in any week, and I've noticed that I'm much more committed to making sure they are quality workouts and that I make them count, even when I'm mucking with the suggested workout (which is almost every week).
I even occasionally skip a work-out day and move the run to another day to make sure I can do it at something bordering on the suggested pace. On other programs, I wouldn't have that flexibility, so I'd just head out and do the prescribed mileage or the prescribed time, in either event, often at much slower than the target pace.
So, I'm a doubter, but I'm curious. I'm going to do my best to follow the FIRST (modified for my life) plan and head out with the 4 hour pace group at CIM. Once I have my finishing time and actually true training data (because, of course, I'm me, and life gets in the way of the ideal training schedule), I'll evaluate my next steps from there. I'm leaning towards getting a customized training plan for my next marathon, but we'll see.
Either way, I *loved* seeing the 7:59 mile in the middle of this afternoon's run. It's been a long time since I saw that type of evidence of fitness and it's helpful in encouraging me to hold on and trust the FIRST folks.
I checked my records, and I haven't recorded a full mile at this pace in the last two years.
Memory lane claims the last time I was in this good of speed shape was either:
1. back in June 2011, when I did 13X400 @ sub8 (including a few 7:0X paced offerings) with 200 jogging recovery each interval plus some warm-up and cool-down for a 6.92 mile workout at an average pace of 8:07/mile.
or maybe, if I 'd tried a little harder to go for an even workout, this would be the equivalent of:
2. November of 2011, when I did a 3 mile time test @ 8:22 avg. pace.
In any case, I don't have data for a mile on any run that was sub-8 for a recorded mile in the last 2 years. And, as a middle-aged lady, I'm not gonna lie, that's seriously enouraging. Woo Hoo!
I'm doing a FIRST-inspired training plan for CIM this time around. I'm skeptical. But I read the studies and the book. Despite my doubt at the low mileage, the very targeted training segments supposedly work wonders for people like me (who can't afford to re-arrange their life around running). That's why I picked it and scheduled it 6 months ago.
But, my doubts tell me it can't be possible that I can hit my goal of sub 4h on a maximum running mileage of less than 35 miles per week and only running 3 days per week.
I've been following the plan somewhat less than religiously (adding runs when I want them and decreasing the paces when they seem too aggressive), and even so, I'm faster than I've been in a long time in terms of my ability to just run fast and feel comfortable.
Given that comfort, I decided to try to hit 9:09 miles on my half this last weekend. Typically, at this point in my marathon training a 2h (9:09/mi) marathon would be reasonable, but then again, I'm also usually hitting well above 35-40 miles per week in my training, whereas this time around, I've barely cleared 30. FIRST claimed I should shoot for 13 at 9:39 and that I'd still be able to get to 4h at the marathon if I continued to follow their plan. But, I've been so much faster on the short painful efforts, I figured I could go for 9:09, which I've hit so easily before at this point in the cycle. Final result? 9:31/mile.
Okay, fine. Maybe they know what they are doing.
So, I've decided to stick it out, finish their plan as best I can and see what the results show. I'd love it if I actually broke 4 hours in the marathon on their plan (which is what I originally designed it to do). At this point in the training schedule, emotionally, I just can't believe it would be possible. I underestimated how strong the knowledge that I'm *always* running over 40 miles/week at this point in the training schedule would make me distrust this plan come week -7. Everything I know about running (which is not much) says I need to run many more than the prescribed miles on this plan.
On the other hand, there are only 3 running workouts I have to do in any week, and I've noticed that I'm much more committed to making sure they are quality workouts and that I make them count, even when I'm mucking with the suggested workout (which is almost every week).
I even occasionally skip a work-out day and move the run to another day to make sure I can do it at something bordering on the suggested pace. On other programs, I wouldn't have that flexibility, so I'd just head out and do the prescribed mileage or the prescribed time, in either event, often at much slower than the target pace.
So, I'm a doubter, but I'm curious. I'm going to do my best to follow the FIRST (modified for my life) plan and head out with the 4 hour pace group at CIM. Once I have my finishing time and actually true training data (because, of course, I'm me, and life gets in the way of the ideal training schedule), I'll evaluate my next steps from there. I'm leaning towards getting a customized training plan for my next marathon, but we'll see.
Either way, I *loved* seeing the 7:59 mile in the middle of this afternoon's run. It's been a long time since I saw that type of evidence of fitness and it's helpful in encouraging me to hold on and trust the FIRST folks.
October 7, 2012
San Jose Rock 'n Roll Half Marathon Review
The Good:
-Super fast, flat course.
-Nice black schwag/drop bag with red logo. Tech t-shirt. Cute cassette tape medals (many of the participants probably didn't know what they were, man I'm getting old).
-An out and back section that put me running directly opposite the leaders when they were surging and trying to jockey in miles 11 and 12. It was very inspirational and entertaining to watch that portion of the race. Given the time spread for the men and the women, this lets the particpants in the middle to the back of the pack see some of the action from the leaders. Today, if you didn't get to mile six by 53:50 (8:53/mi or slower) and so long as you made it to mile 4.5 by 1:18 or so (17:33/mi or faster) then you were guaranteed to see some of the action of the top ten men's and women's finishers.
-The event was very well organized with separated corrals (but changing corrals wasn't difficult), pace group leaders, a very easy to use bag drop, and an awesome selection of post-run refuel options, plus tons of medical, crowd, and volunteer support on the course.
The Bad:
-RNR races are notoriously big and expensive. This one was no different.
-The Expo was an annoying maze where they had traffic control to try to force you to run the gauntlet through all of their various sponsor tents. Grumpy runners who have time commitments don't make good consumers, guys. Also, I can walk whichever direction I'd like unless it's against the law. Just saying...
-The 2:00 pace group was so big and bulky that it didn't really seem to ever string out in a way that would allow its members to run the tangents. Given the number of turns on the course, this probably cost the pace group members some time.
-No Gu except for one station at mile 9.6 and no other fuel besides Gatorade and water on the course. I definitely could have used a Gu or other carb source around mile 6 or 7. (To their credit, the map made this clear, so I should have brought my own.)
Overall:
Despite missing my time goal, I very much enjoyed today's race. The weather was a bit warmer than I'd ordinarily expect at this time of year, but even so, it wasn't too hot (~55F at the start and ~64 at the finish).
This is a *very* fast course, with the possible exception of the crowds causing issues with missing tangents and slowing for the aid stations. Great PR potential, almost totally flat with a few small rollers.
My time splits show that as soon as we left the section where I could watch the elites sprint towards us and the finish, my motivation took a severe hit. If I could change one thing it would be to put a refreshment station after this corner (perhaps on the opposite side of the tangent) to encourage runners to fuel up and buckle down for the remainder of their race.
I'd never actually *raced* an RNR event, so I wasn't sure what to expect. I ran-walked a friend through the half in Seattle in 2010, but when I'm supporting friends, I don't pay as much attention to the execution of the race as I do when it's just me, so I didn't have any strong opinions one way or another. But, I had heard horrid things about last year's Las Vegas event from friends who'd done it and RNR are known for their super expensive, huge, and full of difficult to navigate crowds and marketing madness. Since I generally prefer smaller, less commercial events, I was somewhat skeptical.
But, it's a flat local race that's perfectly timed for my CIM training schedule. So I was in.
I was pleasantly surprised to learn that RNR definitely maximizes the size of the event in a good way. Yes, this is an expensive and large event, but because of that they have an abundance of resources and they make them available to you.
The staff is professional and knows what is going on. It's so nice to stop and ask for directions or help and to get a clear, correct answer.
They handled all of the things that can go horribly wrong with large crowds very well. They've made certain it's a well thought out course, that's well managed, with plenty of port-a-potties, parking, bag drop, and post-race fuel and rest options (I could have easily had a free 2,000 calorie lunch of awesome fruit, Gatorade, mini Jamba Juices, bagels, bars, chocolate milk, and other goodies not to mention the Miller Lite post-race beer tent, if that's your thing).
Today's race was nothing like the ridiculousness I heard about with respect to last year's Vegas event and I hope that the organization at both the San Jose event as well as the ever growing list of RNR venues only continues to improve.
Yes, this was an expensive race. But, I registered early and it was local. I didn't have to pay for a hotel. There was free parking if you were willing to show up early enough to deal with the crowds waiting for access at HP pavillion (7 AM, as they recommended, should have been plenty of time). I wore my jacket until the conveniently located and fast bag drop off right by the corrals (by last name *and* bib number, efficient!) and then, cold, I settled into the body heat of my corral.
Roger Craig (a race co-sponsor that I sometimes see when I'm running on the trails in Portola Valley) spoke (and proceeded to kick my 2:06:27 ass with a 1:51:35).
Maybe my goal for next year should be to keep up with Roger. In theory, it's doable, as my half marathon PR is 1:49:20. But that was 4 years ago. So, it may be a relic of the past...
Either way, this race did exactly what it was supposed to do. It allowed me to run hard and as fast as I could manage for 13.1 miles without a break at this point in my training. The data shows that I mentally wussed out a bit from miles 7-10, as I slowed there but then picked it back up and finished the last three miles much faster. So, in addition to the much needed fitness check, this race showed me that I need to work on my mental game and inspired me to train hard for the remaining 8 weeks before CIM.
-Super fast, flat course.
-Nice black schwag/drop bag with red logo. Tech t-shirt. Cute cassette tape medals (many of the participants probably didn't know what they were, man I'm getting old).
-An out and back section that put me running directly opposite the leaders when they were surging and trying to jockey in miles 11 and 12. It was very inspirational and entertaining to watch that portion of the race. Given the time spread for the men and the women, this lets the particpants in the middle to the back of the pack see some of the action from the leaders. Today, if you didn't get to mile six by 53:50 (8:53/mi or slower) and so long as you made it to mile 4.5 by 1:18 or so (17:33/mi or faster) then you were guaranteed to see some of the action of the top ten men's and women's finishers.
-The event was very well organized with separated corrals (but changing corrals wasn't difficult), pace group leaders, a very easy to use bag drop, and an awesome selection of post-run refuel options, plus tons of medical, crowd, and volunteer support on the course.
The Bad:
-RNR races are notoriously big and expensive. This one was no different.
-The Expo was an annoying maze where they had traffic control to try to force you to run the gauntlet through all of their various sponsor tents. Grumpy runners who have time commitments don't make good consumers, guys. Also, I can walk whichever direction I'd like unless it's against the law. Just saying...
-The 2:00 pace group was so big and bulky that it didn't really seem to ever string out in a way that would allow its members to run the tangents. Given the number of turns on the course, this probably cost the pace group members some time.
-No Gu except for one station at mile 9.6 and no other fuel besides Gatorade and water on the course. I definitely could have used a Gu or other carb source around mile 6 or 7. (To their credit, the map made this clear, so I should have brought my own.)
Overall:
Despite missing my time goal, I very much enjoyed today's race. The weather was a bit warmer than I'd ordinarily expect at this time of year, but even so, it wasn't too hot (~55F at the start and ~64 at the finish).
This is a *very* fast course, with the possible exception of the crowds causing issues with missing tangents and slowing for the aid stations. Great PR potential, almost totally flat with a few small rollers.
My time splits show that as soon as we left the section where I could watch the elites sprint towards us and the finish, my motivation took a severe hit. If I could change one thing it would be to put a refreshment station after this corner (perhaps on the opposite side of the tangent) to encourage runners to fuel up and buckle down for the remainder of their race.
I'd never actually *raced* an RNR event, so I wasn't sure what to expect. I ran-walked a friend through the half in Seattle in 2010, but when I'm supporting friends, I don't pay as much attention to the execution of the race as I do when it's just me, so I didn't have any strong opinions one way or another. But, I had heard horrid things about last year's Las Vegas event from friends who'd done it and RNR are known for their super expensive, huge, and full of difficult to navigate crowds and marketing madness. Since I generally prefer smaller, less commercial events, I was somewhat skeptical.
But, it's a flat local race that's perfectly timed for my CIM training schedule. So I was in.
I was pleasantly surprised to learn that RNR definitely maximizes the size of the event in a good way. Yes, this is an expensive and large event, but because of that they have an abundance of resources and they make them available to you.
The staff is professional and knows what is going on. It's so nice to stop and ask for directions or help and to get a clear, correct answer.
They handled all of the things that can go horribly wrong with large crowds very well. They've made certain it's a well thought out course, that's well managed, with plenty of port-a-potties, parking, bag drop, and post-race fuel and rest options (I could have easily had a free 2,000 calorie lunch of awesome fruit, Gatorade, mini Jamba Juices, bagels, bars, chocolate milk, and other goodies not to mention the Miller Lite post-race beer tent, if that's your thing).
Today's race was nothing like the ridiculousness I heard about with respect to last year's Vegas event and I hope that the organization at both the San Jose event as well as the ever growing list of RNR venues only continues to improve.
Yes, this was an expensive race. But, I registered early and it was local. I didn't have to pay for a hotel. There was free parking if you were willing to show up early enough to deal with the crowds waiting for access at HP pavillion (7 AM, as they recommended, should have been plenty of time). I wore my jacket until the conveniently located and fast bag drop off right by the corrals (by last name *and* bib number, efficient!) and then, cold, I settled into the body heat of my corral.
Roger Craig (a race co-sponsor that I sometimes see when I'm running on the trails in Portola Valley) spoke (and proceeded to kick my 2:06:27 ass with a 1:51:35).
Maybe my goal for next year should be to keep up with Roger. In theory, it's doable, as my half marathon PR is 1:49:20. But that was 4 years ago. So, it may be a relic of the past...
Either way, this race did exactly what it was supposed to do. It allowed me to run hard and as fast as I could manage for 13.1 miles without a break at this point in my training. The data shows that I mentally wussed out a bit from miles 7-10, as I slowed there but then picked it back up and finished the last three miles much faster. So, in addition to the much needed fitness check, this race showed me that I need to work on my mental game and inspired me to train hard for the remaining 8 weeks before CIM.
October 6, 2012
Vacation Anticipation
I have to work today (Saturday) and tomorrow, too, most likely. Sometimes working on the weekends frustrates me, but today, I'm comforting myself with the thought that E and I leave soon for Hawaii.
It will be a quick, but necessary, get away. I will turn on my out of office and do as little work as possible while getting in great runs and lots of reading and beach time.
E and I have traveled together quite a bit this year. Add in the solo travel I've done, and my existing reservations put me on track to acquire Delta Gold status for next year (despite the fact that my international travel this year wasn't eligible for Delta miles).
Traveling for vacation with E is one of my favorite things in the world. We can leave the day-to-day stresses of our lives behind and relax or share adventures.
This year, other than a quick weekend getaway for our anniversary, all of our joint travel has been either a) related to work; b) related to family; or c) related to an out of town wedding or race.
So, this upcoming trip to Hawaii will be the first time in a year where we're getting on a plane to escape and the only purpose is for us to enjoy ourselves.
The last time we did this, it was a almost a year ago. Also to Hawaii. Kauai has become our go-to guaranteed relaxation and restoration location.
And I'm excited.
It will be a quick, but necessary, get away. I will turn on my out of office and do as little work as possible while getting in great runs and lots of reading and beach time.
E and I have traveled together quite a bit this year. Add in the solo travel I've done, and my existing reservations put me on track to acquire Delta Gold status for next year (despite the fact that my international travel this year wasn't eligible for Delta miles).
Traveling for vacation with E is one of my favorite things in the world. We can leave the day-to-day stresses of our lives behind and relax or share adventures.
This year, other than a quick weekend getaway for our anniversary, all of our joint travel has been either a) related to work; b) related to family; or c) related to an out of town wedding or race.
So, this upcoming trip to Hawaii will be the first time in a year where we're getting on a plane to escape and the only purpose is for us to enjoy ourselves.
The last time we did this, it was a almost a year ago. Also to Hawaii. Kauai has become our go-to guaranteed relaxation and restoration location.
And I'm excited.
October 5, 2012
Zoom Teeth Whitening Part 2
I went back for more.
Despite the unpleasantness last time, I felt the benefits were worth it. Also, I'd paid for it.
So I used Sensodyne every day since my last appointment and I took 2 aspirin before heading in.
This time, I made it through 2 full 15-minute sessions (and finished the movie I'd started the last visit). The zingers were not remotely as frequent as the last time during the treatment. Whether that is due to the deep cleaning, the Sensodyne, the aspirin or some combination, I have no idea. It didn't hurt that I had experience on my side and I knew that the zingers typically only lasted 3 or 4 seconds. I could count through them. I did, on several occasions towards the end of the second treatment. Thankfully, even the dental assistant recommended stopping, saying "Look how white they already are!"
And it's true. My teeth are noticeably whiter (enough so that I'll actually follow the directions and skip the coffee for close to 48 hours, which is a huge weekend sacrifice on my part).
After the aspirin wore off, I definitely have been experiencing intermittent zingers. Now, almost 12 hours later pain-med free (I didn't take any more after the initial dose, perhaps this was an error?), I can say that two sessions definitely cause more residual nerve pain than just one.
Even so. I like my white smile. I'm pleased. And most importantly, I'm dead-set on avoiding the dentist at all costs for at least 6 months, and likely more, because I'm a procrastinator like that.
Despite the unpleasantness last time, I felt the benefits were worth it. Also, I'd paid for it.
So I used Sensodyne every day since my last appointment and I took 2 aspirin before heading in.
This time, I made it through 2 full 15-minute sessions (and finished the movie I'd started the last visit). The zingers were not remotely as frequent as the last time during the treatment. Whether that is due to the deep cleaning, the Sensodyne, the aspirin or some combination, I have no idea. It didn't hurt that I had experience on my side and I knew that the zingers typically only lasted 3 or 4 seconds. I could count through them. I did, on several occasions towards the end of the second treatment. Thankfully, even the dental assistant recommended stopping, saying "Look how white they already are!"
And it's true. My teeth are noticeably whiter (enough so that I'll actually follow the directions and skip the coffee for close to 48 hours, which is a huge weekend sacrifice on my part).
After the aspirin wore off, I definitely have been experiencing intermittent zingers. Now, almost 12 hours later pain-med free (I didn't take any more after the initial dose, perhaps this was an error?), I can say that two sessions definitely cause more residual nerve pain than just one.
Even so. I like my white smile. I'm pleased. And most importantly, I'm dead-set on avoiding the dentist at all costs for at least 6 months, and likely more, because I'm a procrastinator like that.
Happy Friday
We had friends over for Mandarin night last night
and I was able to catch up with L and G. It felt like I hadn't seen and caught
up with both of them for a very long time. I'd missed them both.
While the end of the evening was a wonderful feast of Thai Food, the start was less than stellar. I made a calendar mistake and left G sitting on my porch while I raced home from a client to open the door -- I'm a terrible hostess. Thankfully, she likes cheese and avocado, which I immediately plied her with in an effort to apologize for my mistake.
This morning, I woke up to an empty email inbox despite doing my last check at 6:40 PM last night (before frantically speeding home).
Even better, our weekend looks like a fun collection of gardening, a birthday dinner for a friend and the San Jose Rock 'n Roll Half Marathon for me.
Happy Friday!
While the end of the evening was a wonderful feast of Thai Food, the start was less than stellar. I made a calendar mistake and left G sitting on my porch while I raced home from a client to open the door -- I'm a terrible hostess. Thankfully, she likes cheese and avocado, which I immediately plied her with in an effort to apologize for my mistake.
This morning, I woke up to an empty email inbox despite doing my last check at 6:40 PM last night (before frantically speeding home).
Even better, our weekend looks like a fun collection of gardening, a birthday dinner for a friend and the San Jose Rock 'n Roll Half Marathon for me.
Happy Friday!
October 3, 2012
Goals: The Signposts of Life
How is it already October? Also, what is going on with the weather?
Everything feels like it is moving entirely too fast for me. Like I can't keep up. And yet...
I'm actually doing fairly well when it comes to my arbitrary goals for the year.
I've written about this before -- I strongly endorse the setting and adherence to goals for their own somewhat arbitrary sake. The structure they create builds life experiences and character (particularly when you realize you don't even have the space to own or acknowledge meaningful goals while you are trying to set them), and if nothing else, they make for great stories.
Of course, sometimes, I don't meet the goals I set at all. Fluent in Spanish? Hah! Good one! Right angles in the house I live in? What did I think I was going to be, a gadgillionaire?
But this year is different. This year has moved so much more quickly than any year I've ever lived. This year, my goals are filling more of a time-keeping role than I'd historically realized. While the majority of my social cohorts have children with life-development milestones to mark their days, I have things like *pages read* or *words learned* or *miles ran* or *places or people visited.*
So here I am (as compared against the goals I'd set in January):
On reading and books, I killed it. I have already read 9,356 pages of self-elected not-required reading, blowing past my goal of 9,000 pages this year (and the total doesn't even include my new addiction to audio books, which, in my opinion is totally cheating because I can multi-task, but I still can't help but include the audio titles when I think about my year as a whole because I feel as if I haven't been this *well-read* in any year since before law school). Back to actual visual reading... This is the high point of page count since I started keeping track (meticulously, because I'm insane about data like that, in 2005). What do I think this says about me? I think, for one, when I look at the historical graph, it says that reading for pleasure is becoming more and more important to me as I age. Goal, met and vanquished.
My Chinese study is going extremely well. I am thankful to live in such a multi-lingual environment and for all of the locally based native speaking people who are willing to indulge me in my studies. I love that I can say basic things and even read a bit. This goal is returning tons of value in terms of day to day pleasure. I can't wait for our trip to China next year.
Race weight: Well, let's just say this one is not going well. I'll check back in after CIM, but without some major lifestyle modifications in the next 9 weeks (which are unlikely to occur), I'll have to acknowledge this one as a bit of a failure. Over the course of the year, the numbers have been going up, not down.
2 Marathons: 1 down, 1 to go. On track.
52 healthy days with E: As predicted, this is where I've fallen the furthest behind. It should be interesting to see if I scramble to meet this goal or abandon it. I like the idea of staying with it, but I also like the idea of a spring marathon in 2013 after CIM, which if I want to do it well will require strong lifestyle sacrifices and I'm not sure I have the marital clout to prevail on both accounts... only time will tell.
Everything feels like it is moving entirely too fast for me. Like I can't keep up. And yet...
I'm actually doing fairly well when it comes to my arbitrary goals for the year.
I've written about this before -- I strongly endorse the setting and adherence to goals for their own somewhat arbitrary sake. The structure they create builds life experiences and character (particularly when you realize you don't even have the space to own or acknowledge meaningful goals while you are trying to set them), and if nothing else, they make for great stories.
Of course, sometimes, I don't meet the goals I set at all. Fluent in Spanish? Hah! Good one! Right angles in the house I live in? What did I think I was going to be, a gadgillionaire?
But this year is different. This year has moved so much more quickly than any year I've ever lived. This year, my goals are filling more of a time-keeping role than I'd historically realized. While the majority of my social cohorts have children with life-development milestones to mark their days, I have things like *pages read* or *words learned* or *miles ran* or *places or people visited.*
So here I am (as compared against the goals I'd set in January):
On reading and books, I killed it. I have already read 9,356 pages of self-elected not-required reading, blowing past my goal of 9,000 pages this year (and the total doesn't even include my new addiction to audio books, which, in my opinion is totally cheating because I can multi-task, but I still can't help but include the audio titles when I think about my year as a whole because I feel as if I haven't been this *well-read* in any year since before law school). Back to actual visual reading... This is the high point of page count since I started keeping track (meticulously, because I'm insane about data like that, in 2005). What do I think this says about me? I think, for one, when I look at the historical graph, it says that reading for pleasure is becoming more and more important to me as I age. Goal, met and vanquished.
My Chinese study is going extremely well. I am thankful to live in such a multi-lingual environment and for all of the locally based native speaking people who are willing to indulge me in my studies. I love that I can say basic things and even read a bit. This goal is returning tons of value in terms of day to day pleasure. I can't wait for our trip to China next year.
Race weight: Well, let's just say this one is not going well. I'll check back in after CIM, but without some major lifestyle modifications in the next 9 weeks (which are unlikely to occur), I'll have to acknowledge this one as a bit of a failure. Over the course of the year, the numbers have been going up, not down.
2 Marathons: 1 down, 1 to go. On track.
52 healthy days with E: As predicted, this is where I've fallen the furthest behind. It should be interesting to see if I scramble to meet this goal or abandon it. I like the idea of staying with it, but I also like the idea of a spring marathon in 2013 after CIM, which if I want to do it well will require strong lifestyle sacrifices and I'm not sure I have the marital clout to prevail on both accounts... only time will tell.
September 28, 2012
Looking Forward To Trying To Keep Up
My husband has consistently responded, "only when chased," if asked if he runs.
But, tonight tells a different story.
After home-town Christmas 5K grief, he begrudgingly agreed to register for a race.
So now he needs to run.
We headed out for our first foray since the 2-miler 10 years ago when he swore off the dreadful task *forever*.
He shocked me with an initial mile of 9:07.
I look forward to watching him move his mileage up to the 3.1 for the 5K and watching him and his dad finish together (in fact, my Xmas 5K resolution may simply be to go fast enough so I can finish ahead and take photos).
I think have a new running buddy!
But, tonight tells a different story.
After home-town Christmas 5K grief, he begrudgingly agreed to register for a race.
So now he needs to run.
We headed out for our first foray since the 2-miler 10 years ago when he swore off the dreadful task *forever*.
He shocked me with an initial mile of 9:07.
I look forward to watching him move his mileage up to the 3.1 for the 5K and watching him and his dad finish together (in fact, my Xmas 5K resolution may simply be to go fast enough so I can finish ahead and take photos).
I think have a new running buddy!
September 27, 2012
Grinning Goodbye To Summer
Summer always seems to bring us wonderful excesses of travel, barbeque, too much food, wine, and celebration.
After the fun has ended, E and I try to impose our own version of reasonable restraint/limited abstinence upon ourselves.
So far this week we've been successful. We've avoided almost all social activity, have slept at least eight hours each night, and have successfully refrained from all processed grains, alcohol, meat (except fish, once), and tried to fit in more exercise including some good evening yoga.
In addition to garden salads and soups for dinner, I've been enjoying smoothies for lunch. I love the treat of blended dark leafy greens, garden cucumbers, bananas, and berries. Delicious, healthy, and light.
On Tuesday, after my liquid lunch, I went to the post office, the UPS store, and visited the bank teller in person.
On the drive back to the home office, I caught a glimpse of myself in the rear-view mirror and realized the *other* benefit of the smoothie lunch:
A widely speckled grin of berry skins and leafy green bits, for all to enjoy.
(Hey USPS, UPS, and bank teller, next time can I get a heads up please?)
After the fun has ended, E and I try to impose our own version of reasonable restraint/limited abstinence upon ourselves.
So far this week we've been successful. We've avoided almost all social activity, have slept at least eight hours each night, and have successfully refrained from all processed grains, alcohol, meat (except fish, once), and tried to fit in more exercise including some good evening yoga.
In addition to garden salads and soups for dinner, I've been enjoying smoothies for lunch. I love the treat of blended dark leafy greens, garden cucumbers, bananas, and berries. Delicious, healthy, and light.
On Tuesday, after my liquid lunch, I went to the post office, the UPS store, and visited the bank teller in person.
On the drive back to the home office, I caught a glimpse of myself in the rear-view mirror and realized the *other* benefit of the smoothie lunch:
A widely speckled grin of berry skins and leafy green bits, for all to enjoy.
(Hey USPS, UPS, and bank teller, next time can I get a heads up please?)
September 23, 2012
Tiny Pleasures
Our local grocery store hooked us up with a coupon for a free quart of Almond Breeze.
I'm scared of most modern so-called "foods." But when I imagined what almond milk might be, I thought it might actually be something I'd like.
In my coffee, for example.
Plus, it was free.
The nutrition info totally beat out the 1% milk that I typically put in my coffee:
-60 calories per cup vs. 140
-more calcium, potassium, zinc, iron, and all sorts of other nut-based nutrients that aren't included in milk
-same amount of vitamin D
-1/2 the fat
Did I mention it was free?
I tried it plain, suspicious, but it was everything I'd want a cold glass of milk to be, and more. It had the consistency of low fat milk, but a light delicious nutty after-taste. In my coffee this AM, it was heaven. I'm a convert. So there you go -- every once in a while the industrial food industry creates a new product that actually makes my life better.
In other news, E and I finally got around to watching Jiro Dreams of Sushi which had been recommended to me by no less than 3 people who know me well, but all are from very different areas of my life. E had never heard of it.
It was slow at times, but we thoroughly enjoyed it. Also, it made us both nostalgic for our trip to Japan.
I'm scared of most modern so-called "foods." But when I imagined what almond milk might be, I thought it might actually be something I'd like.
In my coffee, for example.
Plus, it was free.
The nutrition info totally beat out the 1% milk that I typically put in my coffee:
-60 calories per cup vs. 140
-more calcium, potassium, zinc, iron, and all sorts of other nut-based nutrients that aren't included in milk
-same amount of vitamin D
-1/2 the fat
Did I mention it was free?
I tried it plain, suspicious, but it was everything I'd want a cold glass of milk to be, and more. It had the consistency of low fat milk, but a light delicious nutty after-taste. In my coffee this AM, it was heaven. I'm a convert. So there you go -- every once in a while the industrial food industry creates a new product that actually makes my life better.
In other news, E and I finally got around to watching Jiro Dreams of Sushi which had been recommended to me by no less than 3 people who know me well, but all are from very different areas of my life. E had never heard of it.
It was slow at times, but we thoroughly enjoyed it. Also, it made us both nostalgic for our trip to Japan.
September 21, 2012
Adventures in Zoom Teeth Whitening
Today, I finally went to the dentist for the first time in well over a year.
On the way there, I drove beneath the Shuttle Endeavor, as it flew across Highway 101 on its way to Moffett Field before heading to its final resting place in Southern California. I tried to grab my phone and snap a photo but I decided avoiding an accident from all the other gawking cars was probably more important.
I figured the Endeavor was an auspicious sign. And, indeed, it seemed to be -- no new cavities or major tooth issues to address for what felt like the first time in my life.
Since it appeared that I'd been successful in my bid to stop drinking diet coke over a year and a half ago, and because I'm getting too old to drink much red wine, I decided to try Zoom Teeth Whitening. Apparently, it works best immediately after a thorough teeth cleaning, which, conveniently, I'd just completed.
I figured if I wasn't regularly taking part in many of the substances that were responsible for the stains on my teeth, I should at least enjoy the visual benefits of that decision, too. (Also, I had some money to burn in the Health Savings Account.)
First, they gave me a movie and headphones and propped my neck with a heated violet scented u-shaped pillow. (My dentist rocks!)
Then they went through a fairly intense process to isolate all of the soft tissue in my mouth and face from the bleaching gel and the light.
Once the final prep was done, they applied the bleaching gel and set the light, but I was only able to withstand a single 15-minute session. By the end of the session, my teeth nerves were firing off regular zings of short but intense pain. Eventually, the increasing frequency caused my hands to start sweating in fear, and I decided to ring the little bell they'd left by my side "in case you feel anything."
When I'd originally asked what I might feel, they indicated that it was unlikely I'd feel anything until the 3rd light session, but that sometimes people experienced "tingling". Hmmm... tingling? No. I'd say it was more like the intermittent nerve zap you get when you start to realize you're going to need a root canal. (I would know, I've had several.)
Generally, I have a ridiculous pain tolerance, but I think mouth pain may be the exception.
So, I bailed after one 15-minute session under the light. My dentist is awesome and offered to let me come back for 2 more separate 15-minute sessions to get the full benefit of the treatment. She explained that while most people can handle 3 or 4 15-minute sessions in one visit, some people (like me, apparently) just have very sensitive teeth and it's not possible to do it all at once.
I came home and did some more research (probably should have done this beforehand, right?) and it would appear I'm not alone in my side effects. In fact, some folks have serious pain for 48 hours after the procedure and many dentists recommend (i) using ACT and Sensodyne for 7 - 14 days leading up to the light treatment; and (ii) taking tylenol or ibuprofen before and after the treatment.
The good news is my teeth are noticeably whiter, and, the nerve zings have been decreasing in frequency ever since I left the office. I think the last one was an hour ago. So, now that I'm more informed, I'm likely do the ACT/Sensodyne dance and head back in for another 15-minute torture session in 2 weeks.
On the way there, I drove beneath the Shuttle Endeavor, as it flew across Highway 101 on its way to Moffett Field before heading to its final resting place in Southern California. I tried to grab my phone and snap a photo but I decided avoiding an accident from all the other gawking cars was probably more important.
I figured the Endeavor was an auspicious sign. And, indeed, it seemed to be -- no new cavities or major tooth issues to address for what felt like the first time in my life.
Since it appeared that I'd been successful in my bid to stop drinking diet coke over a year and a half ago, and because I'm getting too old to drink much red wine, I decided to try Zoom Teeth Whitening. Apparently, it works best immediately after a thorough teeth cleaning, which, conveniently, I'd just completed.
I figured if I wasn't regularly taking part in many of the substances that were responsible for the stains on my teeth, I should at least enjoy the visual benefits of that decision, too. (Also, I had some money to burn in the Health Savings Account.)
First, they gave me a movie and headphones and propped my neck with a heated violet scented u-shaped pillow. (My dentist rocks!)
Then they went through a fairly intense process to isolate all of the soft tissue in my mouth and face from the bleaching gel and the light.
Once the final prep was done, they applied the bleaching gel and set the light, but I was only able to withstand a single 15-minute session. By the end of the session, my teeth nerves were firing off regular zings of short but intense pain. Eventually, the increasing frequency caused my hands to start sweating in fear, and I decided to ring the little bell they'd left by my side "in case you feel anything."
When I'd originally asked what I might feel, they indicated that it was unlikely I'd feel anything until the 3rd light session, but that sometimes people experienced "tingling". Hmmm... tingling? No. I'd say it was more like the intermittent nerve zap you get when you start to realize you're going to need a root canal. (I would know, I've had several.)
Generally, I have a ridiculous pain tolerance, but I think mouth pain may be the exception.
So, I bailed after one 15-minute session under the light. My dentist is awesome and offered to let me come back for 2 more separate 15-minute sessions to get the full benefit of the treatment. She explained that while most people can handle 3 or 4 15-minute sessions in one visit, some people (like me, apparently) just have very sensitive teeth and it's not possible to do it all at once.
I came home and did some more research (probably should have done this beforehand, right?) and it would appear I'm not alone in my side effects. In fact, some folks have serious pain for 48 hours after the procedure and many dentists recommend (i) using ACT and Sensodyne for 7 - 14 days leading up to the light treatment; and (ii) taking tylenol or ibuprofen before and after the treatment.
The good news is my teeth are noticeably whiter, and, the nerve zings have been decreasing in frequency ever since I left the office. I think the last one was an hour ago. So, now that I'm more informed, I'm likely do the ACT/Sensodyne dance and head back in for another 15-minute torture session in 2 weeks.
September 17, 2012
Fairbanks Equinox Marathon Race Report
As predicted, it was my slowest marathon to date.
But, it was my favorite marathon on many other axes. Running a marathon with friends for the fun shared experience is very different than racing. There was much more conversation, laughter, and fun on this one than my last push to break my PR. Because we had no time goal, I took my phone. I was able to take great pictures and record beautiful views and funny moments during the marathon with Arvay & G.
In many ways, the Equinox didn't feel like a race. The start was about 0.5 miles up one of the steepest hills of the course, and at the top, there was a gate that acted as a bottleneck. So most people just walked the start:
Most of the race was on trails: cross country ski trails owned by UAF, single track mountain bike trails with banked corners through the hills, trails along power line cuts and hiking trails that paralleled the main roads.
One interesting difference between Fairbanks and the bay area is that the tree roots are much more close to the surface (likely due to permafrost) so running the trails is a more demanding exercise in foot placement than I've ever experienced. Think of it as more of an obstacle course than a race. Plus, there was a beer refreshment station around mile 2. G took advantage of the moment and actually opened a PBR and took a swig.
Many of the hills were so steep that at points it seemed everyone had no choice but to walk. For example, when you finally start to descend Ester Dome, you hit "the chute"and unless you are a billy goat, you walk down slowly in little prancing steps as you descend over 1,000 feet of broken rocks in less than a mile.
Yes, the elevation profile of this marathon is insane. But if you treat it as a hike-run, it's easily doable, and you are rewarded with gorgeous views (and cookies, cheese, and smoked salmon at the aid stations!):
We were on track for approximately a 5h30 hour finish at mile 20. This was after a reasonable effort of running everything that was easy to run and walking the steep hills. Unfortunately, one member of our group got hurt, so we ended up walking the last 10K so that we could finish together. The tales from the volunteers at the top of Ester Dome who'd seen people blow out ankles and knees were more than enough to convince me that this is one of those situations where discretion is the better part of valor.
In short, I highly recommend this race for its views, the friendly small Alaskan town experience, the awesome organization, and a great long run/hike (just don't try to go fast).
But, it was my favorite marathon on many other axes. Running a marathon with friends for the fun shared experience is very different than racing. There was much more conversation, laughter, and fun on this one than my last push to break my PR. Because we had no time goal, I took my phone. I was able to take great pictures and record beautiful views and funny moments during the marathon with Arvay & G.
In many ways, the Equinox didn't feel like a race. The start was about 0.5 miles up one of the steepest hills of the course, and at the top, there was a gate that acted as a bottleneck. So most people just walked the start:
Most of the race was on trails: cross country ski trails owned by UAF, single track mountain bike trails with banked corners through the hills, trails along power line cuts and hiking trails that paralleled the main roads.
One interesting difference between Fairbanks and the bay area is that the tree roots are much more close to the surface (likely due to permafrost) so running the trails is a more demanding exercise in foot placement than I've ever experienced. Think of it as more of an obstacle course than a race. Plus, there was a beer refreshment station around mile 2. G took advantage of the moment and actually opened a PBR and took a swig.
Many of the hills were so steep that at points it seemed everyone had no choice but to walk. For example, when you finally start to descend Ester Dome, you hit "the chute"and unless you are a billy goat, you walk down slowly in little prancing steps as you descend over 1,000 feet of broken rocks in less than a mile.
Yes, the elevation profile of this marathon is insane. But if you treat it as a hike-run, it's easily doable, and you are rewarded with gorgeous views (and cookies, cheese, and smoked salmon at the aid stations!):
We were on track for approximately a 5h30 hour finish at mile 20. This was after a reasonable effort of running everything that was easy to run and walking the steep hills. Unfortunately, one member of our group got hurt, so we ended up walking the last 10K so that we could finish together. The tales from the volunteers at the top of Ester Dome who'd seen people blow out ankles and knees were more than enough to convince me that this is one of those situations where discretion is the better part of valor.
In short, I highly recommend this race for its views, the friendly small Alaskan town experience, the awesome organization, and a great long run/hike (just don't try to go fast).
September 11, 2012
You Take Yourself Too Seriously
If your auto-response looks something (nay anything) like the following.
(Parentheticals are all mine).
***
Unfortunately (for you, the person responding to my email asking you to do something for me), I only see about half of the 400-600 emails I get every day. (600! Seriously! I get that many emails a day! Can you imagine? I AM SO IMPORTANT!)
If I have not replied to you within 48 hours (I know you'll be counting), chances are that your email is lost in my inbox (but what an honor, really, to be lost in the awesomeness that is my mailbox).
The best way to reach me is to call or text me at: +1 650 867-5309 (Don't you love that song? And also, did you think I was going to respond? Hah! It'll just go to voicemail or auto-text-responder. Duh!)
If you sent an email with attachments (because I, like you, care about documents. No seriously. I have heard that documents are important. And if you're a laywer or a business person I've asked to prepare documents because I actually want to formally record the business deal I think I've got, I do think the docs are important. Or, I should. I mean, *obviously*, they're not important enough to result in me managing my email or even *gasp* hiring someone to do that for me. But I want you to know I think attachments are important. Sort of. Because if they are, then you can manage my email todo list for me. See? Aren't I smart?), to be sure I see it (because, I'm sure you are dying to be sure that I do see your work and respond to it. Do you know how many people *never* even get a response from me?), text me your name and the date you sent the email.
Cheers,
*Name omitted
***
Gag me with a spoon.
September 9, 2012
My Slowest Marathon To Date
I am excited about the 50th Annual Fairbanks Equinox Marathon.
Today, I did my last long run, a hard 12.38 up and down the minimal hills that my hometown can offer at an average pace of 10:20. Nothing to win medals for sure, but given that it included walk breaks to eat fuel, it's been a long time since I'd done something that demanding outside of a race with just me and my watch. I felt good, and ready to meet the minimal joint goals I share with Arvay.
Also, I am not alone. They're proudly predicting a total number of runners (including relayers, ultras(!), and marathoners) of over 1,000 for the first time ever. They've even had to move a relay exchange to accommodate the large numbers.
While I'm excited, I've also been very concerned about my lack of preparation. But, conveniently, I am an obsessive data collector. So I recently entered this marathon's training data in the table that contains the other 6, and I was pleased to learn two things:
1. My weekly average miles for 18 weeks is 23.3 miles. Nothing close to the 40.3 I averaged for the last year's CIM. But, (happily!) not much less, than the 24.7 miles per week I averaged for the San Francisco Full Marathon in 2008 with E2.
2. For the total of each week's long run mileage, I'm actually not in last place for this one. For Coeur d'Alene, I totaled 210.2 of long runs over 18 weeks. For this race, I've got 211.85 miles. Of course, for CDA, I also totaled about 140 more miles over the 18 weeks than what I've put in here, overall, but really, that number makes me feel comfortable. That race was entirely at altitude with lots of ups and downs like the ones I'll find at the top of this race. I'm actually less under-prepared than I thought...
So, yeah. Wish me (and all my fellow Fairbanks Equinox Marathoners) good luck! (Also, note that I fully expect this to be my slowest marathon by a *very* *very* long shot!).
Today, I did my last long run, a hard 12.38 up and down the minimal hills that my hometown can offer at an average pace of 10:20. Nothing to win medals for sure, but given that it included walk breaks to eat fuel, it's been a long time since I'd done something that demanding outside of a race with just me and my watch. I felt good, and ready to meet the minimal joint goals I share with Arvay.
Also, I am not alone. They're proudly predicting a total number of runners (including relayers, ultras(!), and marathoners) of over 1,000 for the first time ever. They've even had to move a relay exchange to accommodate the large numbers.
While I'm excited, I've also been very concerned about my lack of preparation. But, conveniently, I am an obsessive data collector. So I recently entered this marathon's training data in the table that contains the other 6, and I was pleased to learn two things:
1. My weekly average miles for 18 weeks is 23.3 miles. Nothing close to the 40.3 I averaged for the last year's CIM. But, (happily!) not much less, than the 24.7 miles per week I averaged for the San Francisco Full Marathon in 2008 with E2.
2. For the total of each week's long run mileage, I'm actually not in last place for this one. For Coeur d'Alene, I totaled 210.2 of long runs over 18 weeks. For this race, I've got 211.85 miles. Of course, for CDA, I also totaled about 140 more miles over the 18 weeks than what I've put in here, overall, but really, that number makes me feel comfortable. That race was entirely at altitude with lots of ups and downs like the ones I'll find at the top of this race. I'm actually less under-prepared than I thought...
So, yeah. Wish me (and all my fellow Fairbanks Equinox Marathoners) good luck! (Also, note that I fully expect this to be my slowest marathon by a *very* *very* long shot!).
September 8, 2012
Southern Slowness
We went to Atlanta and North Georgia for a relaxing labor day holiday. It took a few days, but the languid southern way eventually wormed its way into my soul.
The first evening, we went to dinner with Sarah at the institution that is the The Colonnade.
E's extended family lives in the South, and occasionally we'll have one or two southern dishes in a meal, or Barbeque for lunch, but very rarely do we indulge in a full traditional southern meal. In fact, much to Sarah's surprise, neither E nor I had ever been to this famous and historic landmark.
I struggled for quite some time with the menu while stuffing delicious cornbread and butter rolls into my mouth. So many choices.
I finally settled on the fried oyster plate and their signature salad and almost clapped my hands with delight to learn I could have a side order of my choice as well. Hello macaroni and cheese!
Sarah ordered the fried shrimp plate with the signature salad, and lima beans. and E ordered the "Vegetable plate" which allows you to combine any 4 sides of your choice into a meal. He opted for chili ("full of meat" he was in formed), fried okra, mac and cheese, and in a rare display of restraint, avoided additional fried awesomeness in favor of a salad.
At the high point of the meal, our table was an impressively brown and yellow display of southern awesomeness.
Suffice it to say, we were incapacitated after the meal and went straight to bed. It was a good introduction to the next few days with absolutely nothing on the agenda.
After driving to the lake, we slept at least 9 hours a day (3 naps in the hammock for me). When I finally woke each morning, I'd sip on some coffee, head out for a run and then jump in the lake to cool off. We lazed around on the screen porch and boat dock while reading and watching the babies and chatting with one another between the rainstorms. We took a pontoon boat ride around the lake to enjoy the sunset. And, of course, we ate and drank too much.
I came home more refreshed and relaxed than I'd been in months.
The first evening, we went to dinner with Sarah at the institution that is the The Colonnade.
E's extended family lives in the South, and occasionally we'll have one or two southern dishes in a meal, or Barbeque for lunch, but very rarely do we indulge in a full traditional southern meal. In fact, much to Sarah's surprise, neither E nor I had ever been to this famous and historic landmark.
I struggled for quite some time with the menu while stuffing delicious cornbread and butter rolls into my mouth. So many choices.
I finally settled on the fried oyster plate and their signature salad and almost clapped my hands with delight to learn I could have a side order of my choice as well. Hello macaroni and cheese!
Sarah ordered the fried shrimp plate with the signature salad, and lima beans. and E ordered the "Vegetable plate" which allows you to combine any 4 sides of your choice into a meal. He opted for chili ("full of meat" he was in formed), fried okra, mac and cheese, and in a rare display of restraint, avoided additional fried awesomeness in favor of a salad.
At the high point of the meal, our table was an impressively brown and yellow display of southern awesomeness.
Suffice it to say, we were incapacitated after the meal and went straight to bed. It was a good introduction to the next few days with absolutely nothing on the agenda.
After driving to the lake, we slept at least 9 hours a day (3 naps in the hammock for me). When I finally woke each morning, I'd sip on some coffee, head out for a run and then jump in the lake to cool off. We lazed around on the screen porch and boat dock while reading and watching the babies and chatting with one another between the rainstorms. We took a pontoon boat ride around the lake to enjoy the sunset. And, of course, we ate and drank too much.
I came home more refreshed and relaxed than I'd been in months.
August 31, 2012
Gazpacho
Every once in a while, I am reminded that I was very spoiled to have a mother with a degree in home economics who taught "foods" and "sewing" and various other skills that were not commonly acquired in a formal manner by American women my age.
I did 4-H as a kid (primarily because my father had done it his entire childhood until college). Many years my mom would lead a 4-H group on a topic of her choosing that I had to participate in and many other young girls (always girls) joined.
I have strong memories of the bread group, the preserves group, and the international foods group, all led by mom. (I also have strong memories of the unicycling and clowning group, the rabbit group, the stained glass group, and others, but those memories aren't centered around my mother.)
Last night, at the last summer barbeque of the season, I was reminded again of the blessing that is my mother's formal training in foods.
I had made gazpacho from garden tomatoes, garden cucumbers, garden hungarian carrot peppers, and grocery store onions and bell peppers (plus the required olive oil and spices). I offered it to everyone who attended.
Gazpacho is E's favorite soup, and easily one of my top 3 favorite soups. Early in our relationship, he made me ask his mother for her recipe and I was amused to find it almost identical to the recipe (if you can call it that) I know from my mother. Given that his family is from NY and the South and I'm a west-coaster through and through, since we both considered it a staple, I guess I assumed gazpacho was ubiquitous in America.
But at last night's BBQ, at least 15% of the recipients (in this so-called land of the foodies) had *never* had it. And many of the others were pleasantly surprised, saying things like, "I hope this doesn't offend you, but this is like the best salsa ever" or "Wow, this is amazing. I've never liked gazpacho before." This reminded me that when I made it once for my childhood best friend, she said, "Doesn't gazpacho have garbanzo beans?" In other words, last night, I realized that almost everyone I know isn't as familiar with gazpacho as E and me.
Today, after giving it a bit more thought, I realized the reason I'm so comfortable with gazpacho is that my mother went out of her way to expose us kids to international foods. She went out of her way to educate us on foreign culture in areas where she had expertise. And she did such a good job that I am occasionally shocked to learn that despite my rural upbringing, I was given a much more worldly perspective in childhood than I ever realized. When a group of professionals in Silicon Valley from all over the country and the world don't know the name of the food you are serving, you quickly realize that your food knowledge is more extensive and worldy than you thought.
Also, there is nothing like getting a group of folks to agree that Californian grown gazpacho is delicious!
Thanks, Mom.
I did 4-H as a kid (primarily because my father had done it his entire childhood until college). Many years my mom would lead a 4-H group on a topic of her choosing that I had to participate in and many other young girls (always girls) joined.
I have strong memories of the bread group, the preserves group, and the international foods group, all led by mom. (I also have strong memories of the unicycling and clowning group, the rabbit group, the stained glass group, and others, but those memories aren't centered around my mother.)
Last night, at the last summer barbeque of the season, I was reminded again of the blessing that is my mother's formal training in foods.
I had made gazpacho from garden tomatoes, garden cucumbers, garden hungarian carrot peppers, and grocery store onions and bell peppers (plus the required olive oil and spices). I offered it to everyone who attended.
Gazpacho is E's favorite soup, and easily one of my top 3 favorite soups. Early in our relationship, he made me ask his mother for her recipe and I was amused to find it almost identical to the recipe (if you can call it that) I know from my mother. Given that his family is from NY and the South and I'm a west-coaster through and through, since we both considered it a staple, I guess I assumed gazpacho was ubiquitous in America.
But at last night's BBQ, at least 15% of the recipients (in this so-called land of the foodies) had *never* had it. And many of the others were pleasantly surprised, saying things like, "I hope this doesn't offend you, but this is like the best salsa ever" or "Wow, this is amazing. I've never liked gazpacho before." This reminded me that when I made it once for my childhood best friend, she said, "Doesn't gazpacho have garbanzo beans?" In other words, last night, I realized that almost everyone I know isn't as familiar with gazpacho as E and me.
Today, after giving it a bit more thought, I realized the reason I'm so comfortable with gazpacho is that my mother went out of her way to expose us kids to international foods. She went out of her way to educate us on foreign culture in areas where she had expertise. And she did such a good job that I am occasionally shocked to learn that despite my rural upbringing, I was given a much more worldly perspective in childhood than I ever realized. When a group of professionals in Silicon Valley from all over the country and the world don't know the name of the food you are serving, you quickly realize that your food knowledge is more extensive and worldy than you thought.
Also, there is nothing like getting a group of folks to agree that Californian grown gazpacho is delicious!
Thanks, Mom.
August 28, 2012
Worst Camping Ever
So, back in early August, E and I joined some friends for two days in Yosemite to send them off on their trek down the John Muir Trail.
By the time we booked, the only accommodations that were available were in Curry Village.
No cooking, no fires, no outdoor seating. Just tightly packed tent cabins with easy noise carriage between them.
I whined quite a bit. This was not at all what I wanted to do when I went camping. I wanted fires, and the lounging and cooking thereby. This was *fake* camping.
But, I got over it. I did get a gorgeous drive through California and a relaxing weekend with views of Half Dome, a hike with E and C to Bridal Veil Falls, and I was able to join our friends on their first few miles of the JMT. Plus I got in some great running coming down from the uphill hikes and on the valley floor.
The company, hikes, and runs were so awesome that I refrained from continuing my complaints.
But this whole hantavirus thing reminded me that I shouldn't give up whining so easily.
So, I'll just say it: Curry Village is officially the worst camping I've ever done. We could have stayed in a motel outside of the park and it would have been vastly superior.
By the time we booked, the only accommodations that were available were in Curry Village.
No cooking, no fires, no outdoor seating. Just tightly packed tent cabins with easy noise carriage between them.
I whined quite a bit. This was not at all what I wanted to do when I went camping. I wanted fires, and the lounging and cooking thereby. This was *fake* camping.
But, I got over it. I did get a gorgeous drive through California and a relaxing weekend with views of Half Dome, a hike with E and C to Bridal Veil Falls, and I was able to join our friends on their first few miles of the JMT. Plus I got in some great running coming down from the uphill hikes and on the valley floor.
The company, hikes, and runs were so awesome that I refrained from continuing my complaints.
But this whole hantavirus thing reminded me that I shouldn't give up whining so easily.
So, I'll just say it: Curry Village is officially the worst camping I've ever done. We could have stayed in a motel outside of the park and it would have been vastly superior.
August 26, 2012
The Blissful Filling of the Nothingness
This weekend, we didn't really have plans.
Sure, I'd tentatively decided to do a half marathon in the Santa Cruz mountains on Sunday AM, but I wasn't committed enough to register, so, by our standards, we had no plans.
Friday night, after a very long week of work and increased running mileage, I fell asleep by 9:45 PM, on the couch, book on chest, almost, but not quite to the end of The Crossing. Sometime later, E woke me (grumpy), and somehow convinced me to go to bed. I woke this AM, embarrased at how much I'd fought back. He informed me, "It's actually not so bad when you wake up. I can reason with you. When I have to deal with sleepwalking BT, it's surreal."
Yup. Friday night is a party at our house. Sleeping by 9:45 and arguments about going to bed by 10. Oh... did I mention I've been a bit busy and stressed and not sleeping well?
Thank goodness for marathon training, even if it's not going totally according to any published schedule. There's still nothing like long runs and short hard speed intervals to fix the insomnia that comes from too much stress. Sure, perhaps it fixes it too well, but, beggars can't be choosers.
Saturday AM, we slept in, relaxed (I finished my book!), took a nice 17 mile mountain bike ride followed by brunch at our local mexi-cali-diner, and then we hunkered down and tended to the general life stuff that everyone must handle and that we've been ignoring (who doesn't?) before heading out.
Then we headed over the hill to Santa Cruz, to spend the evening with E2 & P. Actually, we tried to head over Highway 17, but Google Traffic informed us there was a vehicle fire at the summit, so we opted for Highway 9 to Highway 35 until we finally got back on the 17 after the traffic had cleared but before they'd towed the shocking smoking shell of a burnt-out van away (as in, no tires!). It was great to catch up while driving the gorgeous twisting-turning back-roads through the redwoods, eucalyptus, and Christmas tree farms. Upon arrival, hungry and late, our awesome hosts welcomed us despite our tardiness with open wine and ceviche made of fresh-caught tuna. (HOLY HAPPINESS, IT'S GOOD TO KNOW PEOPLE WHO ARE AWESOME HOSTS!)
This AM, E2 opted into an AM of pilates and woke early to take me to the start of a very elevation-heavy half marathon in the Santa Cruz mountains as part of my training for the Equinox, and while I was slow, I was pleased to do the elevation, even if half of the race was an obstacle course and people yelled at me when I opted to tip-toe my way across the rocks rather than just run across the creek.
We followed up the race with brunch with E2 and P and E in a delicious visit to their local Crepe Awesomeness. My salsa crepe had at least an entire avocado in it. Life was good.
In short,the true list of what we actually did this weekend involves gardening and laundry and thank you notes and dry cleaning and other long and boring chores and errands not worth reading at all. But thanks to making the most of our gifts of friends and the beautiful location where we live, we both feel like we accomplished a ton, and we also had a relaxing treat of a weekend. So we're less stressed, more alive, calmer and just generally happy. In fact, we found ourselves saying, we should have more weekends like this one.
Here's to goals!
Sure, I'd tentatively decided to do a half marathon in the Santa Cruz mountains on Sunday AM, but I wasn't committed enough to register, so, by our standards, we had no plans.
Friday night, after a very long week of work and increased running mileage, I fell asleep by 9:45 PM, on the couch, book on chest, almost, but not quite to the end of The Crossing. Sometime later, E woke me (grumpy), and somehow convinced me to go to bed. I woke this AM, embarrased at how much I'd fought back. He informed me, "It's actually not so bad when you wake up. I can reason with you. When I have to deal with sleepwalking BT, it's surreal."
Yup. Friday night is a party at our house. Sleeping by 9:45 and arguments about going to bed by 10. Oh... did I mention I've been a bit busy and stressed and not sleeping well?
Thank goodness for marathon training, even if it's not going totally according to any published schedule. There's still nothing like long runs and short hard speed intervals to fix the insomnia that comes from too much stress. Sure, perhaps it fixes it too well, but, beggars can't be choosers.
Saturday AM, we slept in, relaxed (I finished my book!), took a nice 17 mile mountain bike ride followed by brunch at our local mexi-cali-diner, and then we hunkered down and tended to the general life stuff that everyone must handle and that we've been ignoring (who doesn't?) before heading out.
Then we headed over the hill to Santa Cruz, to spend the evening with E2 & P. Actually, we tried to head over Highway 17, but Google Traffic informed us there was a vehicle fire at the summit, so we opted for Highway 9 to Highway 35 until we finally got back on the 17 after the traffic had cleared but before they'd towed the shocking smoking shell of a burnt-out van away (as in, no tires!). It was great to catch up while driving the gorgeous twisting-turning back-roads through the redwoods, eucalyptus, and Christmas tree farms. Upon arrival, hungry and late, our awesome hosts welcomed us despite our tardiness with open wine and ceviche made of fresh-caught tuna. (HOLY HAPPINESS, IT'S GOOD TO KNOW PEOPLE WHO ARE AWESOME HOSTS!)
This AM, E2 opted into an AM of pilates and woke early to take me to the start of a very elevation-heavy half marathon in the Santa Cruz mountains as part of my training for the Equinox, and while I was slow, I was pleased to do the elevation, even if half of the race was an obstacle course and people yelled at me when I opted to tip-toe my way across the rocks rather than just run across the creek.
We followed up the race with brunch with E2 and P and E in a delicious visit to their local Crepe Awesomeness. My salsa crepe had at least an entire avocado in it. Life was good.
In short,the true list of what we actually did this weekend involves gardening and laundry and thank you notes and dry cleaning and other long and boring chores and errands not worth reading at all. But thanks to making the most of our gifts of friends and the beautiful location where we live, we both feel like we accomplished a ton, and we also had a relaxing treat of a weekend. So we're less stressed, more alive, calmer and just generally happy. In fact, we found ourselves saying, we should have more weekends like this one.
Here's to goals!
August 25, 2012
August 19, 2012
Summer Heat
Today, at mile 12 of my 18 mile long run, I ducked into a bathroom at a local park and was met by a bright red face. Possibly purple.
Also, I was slightly nauseous. And, (TMI warning) despite feeling like I needed to pee... nothing.
Did I mention I got a ridiculous sunburn at the airfield shooting off rockets yesterday? How about the fact that I've been consistently 5-20 miles short on my target training mileage each week for about 6 weeks? (I blame my inability to maintain a work-life balance for this one).
For today I was smart enough to pick a flatter course to extend the distance from last week's 14 to this week's 18, but I forgot that much of the San Francisco Bay Trail is wide open with no tree cover in the direct sun. And, I started an hour later in the day this time.
Despite the disadvantage of the hour delay in starting, I ran the initial 12 miles for the most part at an even pace without stopping to walk, which was a big improvement over last week.
But, when I saw the face in the mirror, I had to admit, I looked like someone who might be about to enter heat sickness territory. In fact, in a supreme example of hindsight being 20/20, while overheating in the direct sun and humdity of the Nagano Marathon, I realized that the 14-miler-from-hell was actually most likely me suffering from mild heat exhaustion. Thanks to the terrible experience on the 14-miler, I slowed down in Nagano, abandoned any commitment to pace, and finished slowly but surely with no ill effects other than a terrible sunburn:
So, back to today at the park with the purple face. I was still sweating. I definitely could have found a way to complete the final 6 (and possibly even do so intelligently if I slowed down and ran-walked and picked a shady route home).
But my thirst response was overwhelming and yet my stomach was not pleased with anything going down.
My stomach is almost invincible. Despite severe sickness of traveling campanions, Mexico, China, and Cambodia have failed to conquer my stomach. When it decides to pack up and go home, I've learned to listen (I'm looking at you Egypt, oh, and a few folly-filled workouts).
Thanks to the nausea, I did what I'm great at doing when it comes to running schedules. I decided to bail, and live with what I'd done as good enough.
I convinced a nice guy with a gorgeous yellow lab at the park to let me use his phone to call E, and E came to my rescue. Adorably, the guy loaded up his dog in his truck to leave, but when he saw I was still waiting for my ride, he waived from afar and hung around to wait to make sure that E arrived before he left. What a nice (and politely executed) gesture!
I arrived home 2.5 pounds lighter than when I left despite drinking at least 3 re-fills of my 16 oz sports drink holder in addition to stopping and gulping at multiple water fountains.
The short story is that I find myself in a hilariously common situation for me -- close to yet another marathon and short on long runs and undertrained due to my own lack of discipline and idiocy.
Part of me wants to say that my goals are flexible this time around, so I can relax because I know that if I go slow I'm in more than good enough shape to finish. But, my goals are almost the same as Arvay's (and I don't want to slow her and G down):
1) Do not die.
2) Do not injure myself.
3) Finish with G and Arvay.
4) Feel okay the next day. (I've never felt okay the day after a marathon.So, I'm impressed with her goal and hope it means I can be a slowing influence by pointing to it, often.)
Here's to less missed runs and more early mornings.
Also, I was slightly nauseous. And, (TMI warning) despite feeling like I needed to pee... nothing.
Did I mention I got a ridiculous sunburn at the airfield shooting off rockets yesterday? How about the fact that I've been consistently 5-20 miles short on my target training mileage each week for about 6 weeks? (I blame my inability to maintain a work-life balance for this one).
For today I was smart enough to pick a flatter course to extend the distance from last week's 14 to this week's 18, but I forgot that much of the San Francisco Bay Trail is wide open with no tree cover in the direct sun. And, I started an hour later in the day this time.
Despite the disadvantage of the hour delay in starting, I ran the initial 12 miles for the most part at an even pace without stopping to walk, which was a big improvement over last week.
But, when I saw the face in the mirror, I had to admit, I looked like someone who might be about to enter heat sickness territory. In fact, in a supreme example of hindsight being 20/20, while overheating in the direct sun and humdity of the Nagano Marathon, I realized that the 14-miler-from-hell was actually most likely me suffering from mild heat exhaustion. Thanks to the terrible experience on the 14-miler, I slowed down in Nagano, abandoned any commitment to pace, and finished slowly but surely with no ill effects other than a terrible sunburn:
So, back to today at the park with the purple face. I was still sweating. I definitely could have found a way to complete the final 6 (and possibly even do so intelligently if I slowed down and ran-walked and picked a shady route home).
But my thirst response was overwhelming and yet my stomach was not pleased with anything going down.
My stomach is almost invincible. Despite severe sickness of traveling campanions, Mexico, China, and Cambodia have failed to conquer my stomach. When it decides to pack up and go home, I've learned to listen (I'm looking at you Egypt, oh, and a few folly-filled workouts).
Thanks to the nausea, I did what I'm great at doing when it comes to running schedules. I decided to bail, and live with what I'd done as good enough.
I convinced a nice guy with a gorgeous yellow lab at the park to let me use his phone to call E, and E came to my rescue. Adorably, the guy loaded up his dog in his truck to leave, but when he saw I was still waiting for my ride, he waived from afar and hung around to wait to make sure that E arrived before he left. What a nice (and politely executed) gesture!
I arrived home 2.5 pounds lighter than when I left despite drinking at least 3 re-fills of my 16 oz sports drink holder in addition to stopping and gulping at multiple water fountains.
The short story is that I find myself in a hilariously common situation for me -- close to yet another marathon and short on long runs and undertrained due to my own lack of discipline and idiocy.
Part of me wants to say that my goals are flexible this time around, so I can relax because I know that if I go slow I'm in more than good enough shape to finish. But, my goals are almost the same as Arvay's (and I don't want to slow her and G down):
1) Do not die.
2) Do not injure myself.
3) Finish with G and Arvay.
Here's to less missed runs and more early mornings.
August 12, 2012
The Mystery of Pruned Fingers and Toes
It's happened to all of us: the pruned wrinkly fingers from taking too long of a bath, too much time in the hot tub, or, worst case scenario, too long doing dishes without gloves.
Today, in the post-long-run shower, I noticed that my fingers immediately pruned severely. I recalled that this had happened to me a few times after long runs, and I had no idea why. I was staring at my hands in fascination and thought to myself, "Huh. I wonder why that happens. I'll look it up."
So I did.
I expected the Osmosis Explanation. I'd been sweating, so my tissue was likely highly dehydrated and the concentration of solutes should be higher than normal. But, no. Osmosis is not generally accepted as the explanation because the wrinkling in water effect is only observed on fingers, hands, and feet, not over the entire epidermis.
I read the explanation that loss of the protective layer of Sebum may be a precursor to pruning with interest. This ties nicely with the long run as the constant sweating for multiple hours likely removed much of the sebum that would ordinarily be on my fingers before I even entered the shower.
But sebum is where the general agreement seemed to stop. Everyone seems to agree that sebum is supposed to function as a water barrier and that after a while in water, it would wash off and be unable to do its job. But, I couldn't actually find a consensus on what happens after the sebum is gone to cause the wrinkles.
The nerve piece and the fact that the wet wrinkling response
has only been observed in humans and macauques caused the fine folks at 2AI Labs to publish a paper in Brain, Behavior, and Evolution that hypothesizes that the wrinkles in our fingers and toes are actually *rain treads.*
But, not everyone accepts this explanation either. Some claim that the waterlogged fingers and feet are much less able to grip and navigate in watery environments because they are so soft, supple, likely to deform under pressure, and likely to be injured.
So, for now. I just don't know. I guess I'll wait for 2AI Labs to publish their follow-up research on whether grip is actually improved by the so-called "rain treads."
It's nice to be reminded that every once in a while even Google doesn't know the answer
Today, in the post-long-run shower, I noticed that my fingers immediately pruned severely. I recalled that this had happened to me a few times after long runs, and I had no idea why. I was staring at my hands in fascination and thought to myself, "Huh. I wonder why that happens. I'll look it up."
So I did.
I expected the Osmosis Explanation. I'd been sweating, so my tissue was likely highly dehydrated and the concentration of solutes should be higher than normal. But, no. Osmosis is not generally accepted as the explanation because the wrinkling in water effect is only observed on fingers, hands, and feet, not over the entire epidermis.
I read the explanation that loss of the protective layer of Sebum may be a precursor to pruning with interest. This ties nicely with the long run as the constant sweating for multiple hours likely removed much of the sebum that would ordinarily be on my fingers before I even entered the shower.
But sebum is where the general agreement seemed to stop. Everyone seems to agree that sebum is supposed to function as a water barrier and that after a while in water, it would wash off and be unable to do its job. But, I couldn't actually find a consensus on what happens after the sebum is gone to cause the wrinkles.
Some people (like the folks at the Library of Congress) hypothesize that the attachments between the live
and dead layers of the epidermis are the valleys in the wrinkles and that the raised
areas are the dead areas where the water is free to flow and be absorbed in the swelling. They claim that since the dead layers of the epidermis are the largest on the hands and feet, the swelling and valleys are only observed in those areas.
Okay, I can believe that might be the explanation. In fact, if you couple it with the sebum as being
a water barrier to absorption, it seems like I’ve found a reasonable answer.
But, wait.
Apparently, fingers and toes don’t wrinkle under water
exposure if the person has nerve damage to the hand or foot. This
goes against a purely chemical/mechanical explanation like simple absorption and
biological structure.
But, not everyone accepts this explanation either. Some claim that the waterlogged fingers and feet are much less able to grip and navigate in watery environments because they are so soft, supple, likely to deform under pressure, and likely to be injured.
So, for now. I just don't know. I guess I'll wait for 2AI Labs to publish their follow-up research on whether grip is actually improved by the so-called "rain treads."
It's nice to be reminded that every once in a while even Google doesn't know the answer
August 11, 2012
Sore
Tuesday, through an unpredictable chain of events, I found myself at Crossfit.
First we ran around the parking lot twice. Easy.
Then we did a series of butt kicks, high knees, some lunges, burpees, pushups, and short sprints where each exercise culminated in a pullup. Not too bad.
Then we did two handstands against the wall for 30 seconds to a minute each. Fun.
Then we did the WOD (Workout Of the Day):
18 overhead squats
3 pullups
15 overhead squats
6 pullups
12 overhead squats
9 pullups
9 overhead squats
12 pullups
6 overhead squats
15 pullups
3 overhead squats
18 pullups
Conservatively, I did about 50 pullups
Some were just hanging from the bar and kipping or jumping up. Some were with the aid of the resistance bands. The last 18 were on the rings, with my feet in front of me and my body at a 45 degree angle.
I think in the 2 years prior to that night, I might have done a total of 25 pullup-like activities.
It's Sunday now. And I still can't straighten my arms without external resistance. I wonder when my arms will forgive me.
First we ran around the parking lot twice. Easy.
Then we did a series of butt kicks, high knees, some lunges, burpees, pushups, and short sprints where each exercise culminated in a pullup. Not too bad.
Then we did two handstands against the wall for 30 seconds to a minute each. Fun.
Then we did the WOD (Workout Of the Day):
18 overhead squats
3 pullups
15 overhead squats
6 pullups
12 overhead squats
9 pullups
9 overhead squats
12 pullups
6 overhead squats
15 pullups
3 overhead squats
18 pullups
Conservatively, I did about 50 pullups
Some were just hanging from the bar and kipping or jumping up. Some were with the aid of the resistance bands. The last 18 were on the rings, with my feet in front of me and my body at a 45 degree angle.
I think in the 2 years prior to that night, I might have done a total of 25 pullup-like activities.
It's Sunday now. And I still can't straighten my arms without external resistance. I wonder when my arms will forgive me.
July 31, 2012
Gulp
I just read that the Equinox Marathon is one of America's toughest marathons.
I see.
Well, this should be interesting.
I see.
Well, this should be interesting.
July 29, 2012
The Simple Task That Was My Charge
This weekend, I was the officiant in the wedding of two of our friends.
They prepared the ceremony script for me, so it was quite simple.
Public speaking, really.
Except, I failed to notice that all the guests were standing after the bride's father gave her away.
And they kept standing.
And I kept failing to notice throughout the rest of the ceremony.
So the reception involved me answering questions about whether I *intended* everyone to stand throughout the entire ceremony.
Ummm... No.
I did not.
Many apologies were made by me. I was embarrassed. And sad. But happy about everything else in the wedding, which was absolutely perfect:
A magazine spread ready bride and groom in a perfect venue. Taiko drummers. A san-san-kudo ceremony. 100 guest-lighted lanterns sailing off into the night sky. Dancing. Eating and drinking. A maid of honor who *sang* her toast. They even added a very thoughtful birthday cupcake presentation for me coupled with all of the guests singing happy birthday.
At the end of the night, one of the close family friends said to me, "Something goes wrong at every wedding. You did them a favor by making it something so minor, so early."
What a wonderful thing to say! Thanks!
I shall strive to offer similar words of comfort to another at some point when it is apparent that they are struggling with disappointment at their own failure.
They prepared the ceremony script for me, so it was quite simple.
Public speaking, really.
Except, I failed to notice that all the guests were standing after the bride's father gave her away.
And they kept standing.
And I kept failing to notice throughout the rest of the ceremony.
So the reception involved me answering questions about whether I *intended* everyone to stand throughout the entire ceremony.
Ummm... No.
I did not.
Many apologies were made by me. I was embarrassed. And sad. But happy about everything else in the wedding, which was absolutely perfect:
A magazine spread ready bride and groom in a perfect venue. Taiko drummers. A san-san-kudo ceremony. 100 guest-lighted lanterns sailing off into the night sky. Dancing. Eating and drinking. A maid of honor who *sang* her toast. They even added a very thoughtful birthday cupcake presentation for me coupled with all of the guests singing happy birthday.
At the end of the night, one of the close family friends said to me, "Something goes wrong at every wedding. You did them a favor by making it something so minor, so early."
What a wonderful thing to say! Thanks!
I shall strive to offer similar words of comfort to another at some point when it is apparent that they are struggling with disappointment at their own failure.
July 16, 2012
California Dream Runs
My cousin was married at the self-proclaimed "World's Most Beautiful Zoo" this weekend.
After the wedding ceremony, all of the guests were invited to feed the giraffes! (check out that tongue!!!)
So, yeah, you can add "licked by a giraffe" to the experiences I've shared with my siblings, first cousins, and niece. Cool!
In addition to the pleasure of feeding a giraffe, the travel commitment meant that the day of the wedding, I was able to run a loop from our hotel, through a canyon, under fog and mist, up a cliff, and out to a shoreline park trail, past crashing waves on one of the most gorgeous beaches in the world, and finally, a recovery jog/walk up one of the more posh and fascinating shopping scenes I've ever seen (State St).
California is a gloriously beautiful state and to enjoy it on a run in perfect weather is one of the greatest pleasures I have known.
The morning after the wedding was equally awesome (after the wedding, E & I bid the 20-somethings goodbye from the last shuttle bus as they headed out to dance 'til dawn and we prided ourselves on our late wedding partying - I mean, we took the last bus and because I packed flip-flops, I left my heels at the venue, that has to count for some sort of mid-30's coolness, right?). I woke after what felt like sleeping in, and I headed out to the deserted paved path along the beach (nothing like a party town to make you feel like you wake early). I did speed intervals in the overcast cool temperatures, grateful for the sound of the crashing waves and a reprieve from the direct sun I get at home. I finished, happy with the fast tempo, and treated myself to my favorite post-run ritual of bare feet in the cold ocean, where I try to relax and metaphorically let the receding waves take everything I should release.
Last night, thanks to business obligations in Los Angeles, we had a fabulous date night in Santa Monica including sunset dinner at The Lobster and a wonderful room with awesome views at Ocean and Vine:
Today, I had the privilege of a short run along the paved beach path in Santa Monica and Venice where I pushed the pace and enjoyed the shared commitment to fitness.
You know, like this:
(In other news, while I opted out of the tightrope, this AM, I confirmed that I can still *barely* do a pull-up. This was a relief to me after a failed attempt on the shuttle bus post-rehearsal dinner, perhaps after too many drinks and while the bus was driving...)
Tomorrow, I'm planning to run to the Hollywood sign.
All in all, this picturesque SoCal interlude has treated me to some fabulous runs and I can't help but feel extra grateful to live in such a beautiful state with a commitment to its environment and making the beauty available to all of its citizens.
After the wedding ceremony, all of the guests were invited to feed the giraffes! (check out that tongue!!!)
So, yeah, you can add "licked by a giraffe" to the experiences I've shared with my siblings, first cousins, and niece. Cool!
In addition to the pleasure of feeding a giraffe, the travel commitment meant that the day of the wedding, I was able to run a loop from our hotel, through a canyon, under fog and mist, up a cliff, and out to a shoreline park trail, past crashing waves on one of the most gorgeous beaches in the world, and finally, a recovery jog/walk up one of the more posh and fascinating shopping scenes I've ever seen (State St).
California is a gloriously beautiful state and to enjoy it on a run in perfect weather is one of the greatest pleasures I have known.
The morning after the wedding was equally awesome (after the wedding, E & I bid the 20-somethings goodbye from the last shuttle bus as they headed out to dance 'til dawn and we prided ourselves on our late wedding partying - I mean, we took the last bus and because I packed flip-flops, I left my heels at the venue, that has to count for some sort of mid-30's coolness, right?). I woke after what felt like sleeping in, and I headed out to the deserted paved path along the beach (nothing like a party town to make you feel like you wake early). I did speed intervals in the overcast cool temperatures, grateful for the sound of the crashing waves and a reprieve from the direct sun I get at home. I finished, happy with the fast tempo, and treated myself to my favorite post-run ritual of bare feet in the cold ocean, where I try to relax and metaphorically let the receding waves take everything I should release.
Last night, thanks to business obligations in Los Angeles, we had a fabulous date night in Santa Monica including sunset dinner at The Lobster and a wonderful room with awesome views at Ocean and Vine:
Today, I had the privilege of a short run along the paved beach path in Santa Monica and Venice where I pushed the pace and enjoyed the shared commitment to fitness.
You know, like this:
(In other news, while I opted out of the tightrope, this AM, I confirmed that I can still *barely* do a pull-up. This was a relief to me after a failed attempt on the shuttle bus post-rehearsal dinner, perhaps after too many drinks and while the bus was driving...)
Tomorrow, I'm planning to run to the Hollywood sign.
All in all, this picturesque SoCal interlude has treated me to some fabulous runs and I can't help but feel extra grateful to live in such a beautiful state with a commitment to its environment and making the beauty available to all of its citizens.
July 12, 2012
Purging
Over the years I've gotten pretty good at getting rid of and avoiding the acquisition of what I call "stuff."
I don't enjoy shopping, so I rarely acquire new material possessions. E & I have essentially the same furniture that we've had since we met, in 2000. I mean, we live in Silicon Valley and both work in technology-related careers, yet this is what passes for an entertainment center in our house:
(Why yes, that is a 38" CRT and an HDTV antenna to send signals to the free converter box from the gubment to convert those over-the-air HD signals to NTSC).
I make a pile to go to GoodWill so regularly that the pile has its own dedicated corner in the house despite my general hatred for clutter.
I enjoy the act of purging "stuff." I never feel guilty or wasteful for getting rid of something that still has use. In fact, I feel freer, happier. The later thoughts of "didn't I used to have a...." never cause me to regret my decisions. They just make me smile.
Yes, yes, I did used to have that thing. But I don't have it now. How wonderful. Space!
But Ideas? Goals? Books? Pictures or videos of memories? For me, these things are not "stuff."
I collect them. I hold on to them long past their useful life. I grow unreasonably attached to them.
So I have boxes and boxes of photos. And shelves and shelves of books. And lists all over the house full of things that are unlikely to ever be achieved. We even have a VCR and videotapes of memories from childhood (see above) that have survived my otherwise strict regular purging policy.
I also have an unreasonable attachment to the idea of *finishing* books.
Prior to today, I've only given up and agreed not to finish one book: Ulysses back in my early 20s. Because of its stature in the literary world, and the fact that I just could not get myself to enjoy it, I finally admitted that I just wasn't "getting it" and thus it would be a waste of time to finish it. Too many characters and complexities for me, thanks. Perhaps one day I will return to it, but I doubt it. There are more books in the world than I could read in my lifetime, so it seems unlikely that I'll go back to one I didn't like rather than try a new one (to me) that might.
But other than Ulysses, historically, if I start a book, I finish it. And, I usually only read one pleasure book at a time (I'm mid-way through several educational books at the moment, on law, Chinese characters, etc. but I don't consider them part of my reading for fun habit -- I won't curl up on the couch with them or cuddle up with them in bed).
So, imagine my surprise when I admitted yesterday that despite absolutely adoring Anathem and REAMDE, I just couldn't bring myself to read another page of Quicksilver. I slowed my typically page-ripping pace as soon as I started this one. I'd been reading along at approximately 1,000 pages a month this year, and then, from May until now, I've been struggling to get through a handful of pages in any sitting.
Yesterday, after yet another fitful few pages, I realized I was only on page 361 of 962! And I'd bought or borrowed the whole Baroque Cycle Trilogy!
So, I had a chat with myself and admitted that I needed to make some more space in my thoughts, just like I need to constantly make more space in my physical life.
Not only am I not going to finish this book, I'm not going to finish the whole trilogy! Instead, I am going to go through my books, make a pile of books to sell to the used bookstore, and include the two books in the trilogy I bought. (I'll return the third one I borrowed back to metamatt.)
Oh, and while I'm at it, I'm going to admit that I'm also really struggling with River Horse. It was a lovely gift from Arvay, and it's a treat. But it's *so* *slow* that I actually agreed to cheat on it and start Quicksilver. And look where that got me!
So, I'm going to follow several of the comments on GoodReads and relegate it to bathroom reading -- it's reassuring to learn that some folks took 4 years to get through this one. I like it enough to finish it over the course of 4 years.
And with that, I'm at 6,103 pages for the year and ready and excited to start a *new* pleasure book.
I don't enjoy shopping, so I rarely acquire new material possessions. E & I have essentially the same furniture that we've had since we met, in 2000. I mean, we live in Silicon Valley and both work in technology-related careers, yet this is what passes for an entertainment center in our house:
(Why yes, that is a 38" CRT and an HDTV antenna to send signals to the free converter box from the gubment to convert those over-the-air HD signals to NTSC).
I make a pile to go to GoodWill so regularly that the pile has its own dedicated corner in the house despite my general hatred for clutter.
I enjoy the act of purging "stuff." I never feel guilty or wasteful for getting rid of something that still has use. In fact, I feel freer, happier. The later thoughts of "didn't I used to have a...." never cause me to regret my decisions. They just make me smile.
Yes, yes, I did used to have that thing. But I don't have it now. How wonderful. Space!
But Ideas? Goals? Books? Pictures or videos of memories? For me, these things are not "stuff."
I collect them. I hold on to them long past their useful life. I grow unreasonably attached to them.
So I have boxes and boxes of photos. And shelves and shelves of books. And lists all over the house full of things that are unlikely to ever be achieved. We even have a VCR and videotapes of memories from childhood (see above) that have survived my otherwise strict regular purging policy.
I also have an unreasonable attachment to the idea of *finishing* books.
Prior to today, I've only given up and agreed not to finish one book: Ulysses back in my early 20s. Because of its stature in the literary world, and the fact that I just could not get myself to enjoy it, I finally admitted that I just wasn't "getting it" and thus it would be a waste of time to finish it. Too many characters and complexities for me, thanks. Perhaps one day I will return to it, but I doubt it. There are more books in the world than I could read in my lifetime, so it seems unlikely that I'll go back to one I didn't like rather than try a new one (to me) that might.
But other than Ulysses, historically, if I start a book, I finish it. And, I usually only read one pleasure book at a time (I'm mid-way through several educational books at the moment, on law, Chinese characters, etc. but I don't consider them part of my reading for fun habit -- I won't curl up on the couch with them or cuddle up with them in bed).
So, imagine my surprise when I admitted yesterday that despite absolutely adoring Anathem and REAMDE, I just couldn't bring myself to read another page of Quicksilver. I slowed my typically page-ripping pace as soon as I started this one. I'd been reading along at approximately 1,000 pages a month this year, and then, from May until now, I've been struggling to get through a handful of pages in any sitting.
Yesterday, after yet another fitful few pages, I realized I was only on page 361 of 962! And I'd bought or borrowed the whole Baroque Cycle Trilogy!
So, I had a chat with myself and admitted that I needed to make some more space in my thoughts, just like I need to constantly make more space in my physical life.
Not only am I not going to finish this book, I'm not going to finish the whole trilogy! Instead, I am going to go through my books, make a pile of books to sell to the used bookstore, and include the two books in the trilogy I bought. (I'll return the third one I borrowed back to metamatt.)
Oh, and while I'm at it, I'm going to admit that I'm also really struggling with River Horse. It was a lovely gift from Arvay, and it's a treat. But it's *so* *slow* that I actually agreed to cheat on it and start Quicksilver. And look where that got me!
So, I'm going to follow several of the comments on GoodReads and relegate it to bathroom reading -- it's reassuring to learn that some folks took 4 years to get through this one. I like it enough to finish it over the course of 4 years.
And with that, I'm at 6,103 pages for the year and ready and excited to start a *new* pleasure book.
July 8, 2012
Inching towards a very hilly 26.2
This week, I finally pushed my mileage above 30 miles per week for the first time in 2012.
For my long run, I headed out to join H for a repeat of the hilly Sand Hill/Alpine loop with some additional out and back hills tacked on for good measure.
8 minutes faster than last time, overall, from beginning to end, including all stops and walking. (Essentially, I kept roughly the same average pace as last time, but was actually faster in the running portions due to adding a bit more walking, plus I eliminated one of the stops/rests I took last time to buy beverages and cool off).
The first 4 miles (with some of the steepest hills) were noticeably easier than last time. Also, I was able to hang with H (who's in *much* better shape than me) 'til 11 miles instead of 8, so I counted that as an improvement as well.
There's about 1300 ft of ascent and 1300 ft of descent on this loop. So it's decent hill training and I'll definitely return to it a few more times for the benefits it offers. But, when I look at the Equinox Marathon Profile, it becomes very apparent to me that I need to find some bigger hills if I don't want to die of quad pain on the day of the race...
Wish me luck...
P.S. yes, I realize my last blog post ranted about work-out regimes as an annoying default topic of conversation for women in my social cohort, and then I promptly posted about my running life.
For clarity, I am more than happy to talk about working out for its own sake as a small subset of a general social conversation. I really enjoy learning about what different people do to treat their bodies to some physical stress and strain in exchange for all of the myriad benefits.
I just really get uncomfortable when what I thought was a fact-based conversation around someone's work-out regime evolves into a weird competition, or judgment-laden topic, or, my least favorite, an entry into the Bermuda triangle conversation storm around cellulite, fat, size, and body image issues.
Why is it that many women (and some men) can't live and let live when it comes to topics of nutrition, working out, etc? I just don't understand why the reality that what works for one person may not work for everyone else is so hard to comprehend and accept.
For my long run, I headed out to join H for a repeat of the hilly Sand Hill/Alpine loop with some additional out and back hills tacked on for good measure.
8 minutes faster than last time, overall, from beginning to end, including all stops and walking. (Essentially, I kept roughly the same average pace as last time, but was actually faster in the running portions due to adding a bit more walking, plus I eliminated one of the stops/rests I took last time to buy beverages and cool off).
The first 4 miles (with some of the steepest hills) were noticeably easier than last time. Also, I was able to hang with H (who's in *much* better shape than me) 'til 11 miles instead of 8, so I counted that as an improvement as well.
There's about 1300 ft of ascent and 1300 ft of descent on this loop. So it's decent hill training and I'll definitely return to it a few more times for the benefits it offers. But, when I look at the Equinox Marathon Profile, it becomes very apparent to me that I need to find some bigger hills if I don't want to die of quad pain on the day of the race...
Wish me luck...
P.S. yes, I realize my last blog post ranted about work-out regimes as an annoying default topic of conversation for women in my social cohort, and then I promptly posted about my running life.
For clarity, I am more than happy to talk about working out for its own sake as a small subset of a general social conversation. I really enjoy learning about what different people do to treat their bodies to some physical stress and strain in exchange for all of the myriad benefits.
I just really get uncomfortable when what I thought was a fact-based conversation around someone's work-out regime evolves into a weird competition, or judgment-laden topic, or, my least favorite, an entry into the Bermuda triangle conversation storm around cellulite, fat, size, and body image issues.
Why is it that many women (and some men) can't live and let live when it comes to topics of nutrition, working out, etc? I just don't understand why the reality that what works for one person may not work for everyone else is so hard to comprehend and accept.
July 6, 2012
Rant
Celebrities (usually with lots of judgment).
Cleanses (the more details of the dietary sacrifices made and physiological effects, the better).
Diet details (again, the more details the better).
Work-out programs (say it with me now, the more details the better).
Feeling fat, out of shape, or otherwise bad about and ridiculously concerned about one's appearance (aka body-dysmorphia).
Suffice it to say, I am severely disappointed with what are considered the default acceptable topics of conversation among women in my social cohort with whom I don't share some other obvious common conversation topics (children, as I've mentioned, leaves me feeling a little left out, however, they are actually much more entertaining and fascinating to me than the standard default female discussion topics.)
I mean, really. Was I at a party this weekend where the dudes branched off to go troubleshoot a broken two-stroke engine and the women talked about diets and feeling fat for part of the separated time?
Yes. Yes, I was.
Happy Independence Day! (In fairness, the rest of the women-only conversation was scintillating and wonderful.)
But, I am sad about the state of women in America. Why do we default to discussions that assume the value attached to female attractiveness and the maintenance thereof is all-important?
And I am especially sad because I am often hated by women who don't know me, simply because when they meet me, I speak with confidence and brush off the standard topics (like a guy, I've been told, more than once), which apparently makes me (one of my least favorite words) a "bitch."
Ladies. We can do better, and we'd all be happier. Seriously.
Come to the party ready to talk about what you love and feel like it's worth talking about. I'm fairly certain that even if you love celebrities, cleanses, diets, and/or your work out, you also love something else in your life that's cool and just as interesting as a failing two-stroke engine.
And, if my prior rants about kids scared you off? Please. I would so much rather talk about your kids than celebrities, or cleanses, or diets, or body-dysmorphia. Let's talk about them. Please.
I guess this rant is a request to expand the acceptable default conversation topics for women who don't know each other. We are smart. We are interesting. We can talk about all sorts of things. Let's do that!
Cleanses (the more details of the dietary sacrifices made and physiological effects, the better).
Diet details (again, the more details the better).
Work-out programs (say it with me now, the more details the better).
Feeling fat, out of shape, or otherwise bad about and ridiculously concerned about one's appearance (aka body-dysmorphia).
Suffice it to say, I am severely disappointed with what are considered the default acceptable topics of conversation among women in my social cohort with whom I don't share some other obvious common conversation topics (children, as I've mentioned, leaves me feeling a little left out, however, they are actually much more entertaining and fascinating to me than the standard default female discussion topics.)
I mean, really. Was I at a party this weekend where the dudes branched off to go troubleshoot a broken two-stroke engine and the women talked about diets and feeling fat for part of the separated time?
Yes. Yes, I was.
Happy Independence Day! (In fairness, the rest of the women-only conversation was scintillating and wonderful.)
But, I am sad about the state of women in America. Why do we default to discussions that assume the value attached to female attractiveness and the maintenance thereof is all-important?
And I am especially sad because I am often hated by women who don't know me, simply because when they meet me, I speak with confidence and brush off the standard topics (like a guy, I've been told, more than once), which apparently makes me (one of my least favorite words) a "bitch."
Ladies. We can do better, and we'd all be happier. Seriously.
Come to the party ready to talk about what you love and feel like it's worth talking about. I'm fairly certain that even if you love celebrities, cleanses, diets, and/or your work out, you also love something else in your life that's cool and just as interesting as a failing two-stroke engine.
And, if my prior rants about kids scared you off? Please. I would so much rather talk about your kids than celebrities, or cleanses, or diets, or body-dysmorphia. Let's talk about them. Please.
I guess this rant is a request to expand the acceptable default conversation topics for women who don't know each other. We are smart. We are interesting. We can talk about all sorts of things. Let's do that!
June 30, 2012
Bittersweet
June 30th. A rough time for a transactional attorney.
This AM, after a long work day yesterday to cap off an even longer work week (and too much wine last night to celebrate the end of the quarter), I woke, went for a run while listening to mandarin lessons, and then hopped in the car for a 3 hour drive to a family wedding-related event.
With traffic, it was 3.5 hours.
But, thanks to E's offer to be the driver, the delay didn't bother me, I took advantage of the time. I marked up a contract, I composed emails, I finalized time sheets for the month. Eventually, with 45 minutes to spare before arriving at my cousin's bridal shower, I looked up, with the "must do" work finally done, shut my computer, looked out at the laborers in the fields of the California central valley and almost started to cry.
It's June 30th. The end of the quarter. Tomorrow, things will be easier. Lighter. Less stressful. This is true every end of the fiscal quarter for me. But, I do not manage the stress as well as I could or should. And, in the grand scheme of things, my life is *not* stressful. The laborers could not have made this more clear.
Which just made me want to cry more.
I needed a stress release, but I also needed to hold it together, at least 'til after the bridal shower.
So I did. And now I'm here, sitting on a balcony, replying to the 20 emails that came in during the bridal shower and watching the sun set over the pacific ocean at a lovely beachside hotel.
When I was a kid, I dreamed of being the person who could splurge on the balcony view over the ocean room. I never guessed I'd be there one day because I was too busy to book a room until all that was left were the expensive ones. And I definitely never thought I'd be here because I needed to work and I wanted to visit my aging gran, but because AM visits are much better for her, I needed to stay the night after the bridal shower unless I wanted to get on the road at 5 AM and do a pre-bridal shower visit (which, if I'm honest was not happening with me alone, much less with E as a driver and companion).
So yeah, I finally hit one of the goals I set in my innocence as a kid, I can actually afford and justify staying in the hotel room with the balcony and a view at the beach near my dad's hometown.
I thought that was success, a long, long time ago.
But it's not remotely why or how I imagined.
I'm not complaining. It's awesome. It's just completely different than I thought.
In short, it's bittersweet.
This AM, after a long work day yesterday to cap off an even longer work week (and too much wine last night to celebrate the end of the quarter), I woke, went for a run while listening to mandarin lessons, and then hopped in the car for a 3 hour drive to a family wedding-related event.
With traffic, it was 3.5 hours.
But, thanks to E's offer to be the driver, the delay didn't bother me, I took advantage of the time. I marked up a contract, I composed emails, I finalized time sheets for the month. Eventually, with 45 minutes to spare before arriving at my cousin's bridal shower, I looked up, with the "must do" work finally done, shut my computer, looked out at the laborers in the fields of the California central valley and almost started to cry.
It's June 30th. The end of the quarter. Tomorrow, things will be easier. Lighter. Less stressful. This is true every end of the fiscal quarter for me. But, I do not manage the stress as well as I could or should. And, in the grand scheme of things, my life is *not* stressful. The laborers could not have made this more clear.
Which just made me want to cry more.
I needed a stress release, but I also needed to hold it together, at least 'til after the bridal shower.
So I did. And now I'm here, sitting on a balcony, replying to the 20 emails that came in during the bridal shower and watching the sun set over the pacific ocean at a lovely beachside hotel.
When I was a kid, I dreamed of being the person who could splurge on the balcony view over the ocean room. I never guessed I'd be there one day because I was too busy to book a room until all that was left were the expensive ones. And I definitely never thought I'd be here because I needed to work and I wanted to visit my aging gran, but because AM visits are much better for her, I needed to stay the night after the bridal shower unless I wanted to get on the road at 5 AM and do a pre-bridal shower visit (which, if I'm honest was not happening with me alone, much less with E as a driver and companion).
So yeah, I finally hit one of the goals I set in my innocence as a kid, I can actually afford and justify staying in the hotel room with the balcony and a view at the beach near my dad's hometown.
I thought that was success, a long, long time ago.
But it's not remotely why or how I imagined.
I'm not complaining. It's awesome. It's just completely different than I thought.
In short, it's bittersweet.
June 28, 2012
Garmin: It's a Love-Hate Thing
Oh, I love data.
But man, do I hate being a slave to data. I want it on my terms.
So, oh, yeah, when my Forerunner 405 gave up the batterial ghost, those were tough times.
But now, I've sucked it up. I finally splurged on a Garmin Forerunner 610 and it's been 48 hours of effort and reading and searching and uploading updates and calling the tech support folks who are trying to coach me by text but finally give in (Garmin tech support, by the way, is much, much better, than my last adventure with them a few years ago, when there was essentially none. They now have phone support, and they are nice!)
After 48 hours of fighting to make it work, the Garmin is totally up to date with what happened this AM, but it won't sync, and won't acknowledge the routes we've done this evening, in other words, it won't own up to the work I've done...
So, I feel betrayed. I'm really not a fan of the reliability of Garmin products. My first 205 lasted 2+ years. My second one the same. My 405 lasted just a little over a year and in protest I ran without a GPS watch for several months. But, finally, as I mentioned, I'm getting back into running more seriously. So I need my data!
I spent much of today on-line with their awesome (much improved) help desk. I've re-installed every driver, I've re-associated every device, I've tried alternate browsers and I've re-installed every piece of software, and I've re-booted at least 5 times.
At the end of the day, after much struggling I'm sure it'll end up just fine. All of my data in Garmin Connect and my watch working as expected.
In the meantime, I have weekend plans and holiday plans for the 4th!
Also, I spent my last 36 hours migrating Exchange 2007 - 2010 (which was much more labor intensive than the Garmin, but less frustrating as I don't have to deal with it on a daily basis). So at BBQ, a subset of us discussed how it is possible that the electronic age has not brought net benefits to us... interesting polite BBQ talk in the middle of Silicon Valley, no?
But, really, the important part is...my email is finally migrated (fingers crossed) and my Garmin still has all the data, it's just a matter of extracting it.
Viva (Data)!
But man, do I hate being a slave to data. I want it on my terms.
So, oh, yeah, when my Forerunner 405 gave up the batterial ghost, those were tough times.
But now, I've sucked it up. I finally splurged on a Garmin Forerunner 610 and it's been 48 hours of effort and reading and searching and uploading updates and calling the tech support folks who are trying to coach me by text but finally give in (Garmin tech support, by the way, is much, much better, than my last adventure with them a few years ago, when there was essentially none. They now have phone support, and they are nice!)
After 48 hours of fighting to make it work, the Garmin is totally up to date with what happened this AM, but it won't sync, and won't acknowledge the routes we've done this evening, in other words, it won't own up to the work I've done...
So, I feel betrayed. I'm really not a fan of the reliability of Garmin products. My first 205 lasted 2+ years. My second one the same. My 405 lasted just a little over a year and in protest I ran without a GPS watch for several months. But, finally, as I mentioned, I'm getting back into running more seriously. So I need my data!
I spent much of today on-line with their awesome (much improved) help desk. I've re-installed every driver, I've re-associated every device, I've tried alternate browsers and I've re-installed every piece of software, and I've re-booted at least 5 times.
At the end of the day, after much struggling I'm sure it'll end up just fine. All of my data in Garmin Connect and my watch working as expected.
In the meantime, I have weekend plans and holiday plans for the 4th!
Also, I spent my last 36 hours migrating Exchange 2007 - 2010 (which was much more labor intensive than the Garmin, but less frustrating as I don't have to deal with it on a daily basis). So at BBQ, a subset of us discussed how it is possible that the electronic age has not brought net benefits to us... interesting polite BBQ talk in the middle of Silicon Valley, no?
But, really, the important part is...my email is finally migrated (fingers crossed) and my Garmin still has all the data, it's just a matter of extracting it.
Viva (Data)!
June 25, 2012
Getting Back in the Swing of Things
Sunday, I headed out for a hilly loop of 13 miles with H.
It's been a long time since I tried to do a true long run, much less one with serious hills.
It was a beautiful day and I finished. I also bid H farewell around mile 8 when it became glaringly apparent that I was just much too slow for her.
Year to date, I'm at about 515 miles.
Last year, I did 1659 miles, total. So,yeah, I've been slacking.
But, I've got 2 marathons in the pipeline (Equinox and CIM), so this weekend's ass-kicking was exactly what the doctor ordered. I took a few walk breaks, and I erred on the side of slow and steady, but at the end of the day, I'm back in distance runner mode.
Apologies (to my 13 loyal readers as well as randoms) in advance for the likely increased frequency of boring running posts.
It's been a long time since I tried to do a true long run, much less one with serious hills.
It was a beautiful day and I finished. I also bid H farewell around mile 8 when it became glaringly apparent that I was just much too slow for her.
Year to date, I'm at about 515 miles.
Last year, I did 1659 miles, total. So,yeah, I've been slacking.
But, I've got 2 marathons in the pipeline (Equinox and CIM), so this weekend's ass-kicking was exactly what the doctor ordered. I took a few walk breaks, and I erred on the side of slow and steady, but at the end of the day, I'm back in distance runner mode.
Apologies (to my 13 loyal readers as well as randoms) in advance for the likely increased frequency of boring running posts.
Niece Week 2012 -- Success
She's 10, going on being a teenager. It's scary to realize how fast she's grown up. And yet it's easy to understand, visually, as she's grown 3 inches since her last visit and now she wears my shoe size (which she enjoyed to no end).
I'm also so proud of her and just love her so much.
The fun part is how she internalizes everything we strive to share with her.
She proudly informed me at the rocket launch at Moffett Field on Saturday that she had to be patient with some of the kids because, this was her *5th* time setting off rockets and many of the other kids had never done it before. Ahhh.... a rocket expert, how could we not love her?
Only a few hours before the end of her visit, she reminded me that I'd promised to pay her for watching/playing with a friend's child one of the evenings of her visit. I explained that we'd have to negotiate her pay and it was such fun to watch her little brain grow with the idea that when someone is paying you, it is a 2-way discussion. I made her pick hourly rates, do the multiplication, and then assess whether it was a fair price for me and for her. She did well, and we arrived on a totally reasonable $15 for 2.5 hours. (It didn't hurt that Uncle Rocket was coaching her on the side, "She does this for a living... start high!")
But it was the subtle internalizations that were the best. I overheard her telling my mom (who came to pick her up) "I went to Auntie's Mandarin lessons. I learned to say, "Dui" (correct), "Xiexie" (thanks), and "haochi" (good food).
Early in her visit, I decided that while doing Mad Libs before bed (our standard pre-bedtime activity), I would only use words I also knew in Mandarin and I'd tell them to her and let her repeat. She was a quick study and quickly learned to differentiate the tones.
In fact, she made me bust out laughing when she said, "Level 3 sounds like you are puking... Haaaaaaooooouuuu" (complete with gestures).
This is hilarious because: a) she thinks of the tones as levels, like on a video game; and b) she's right, 3rd tone does sort of sound like gastrointestinal distress.
There are a million other adorable things she said as well as a couple less adorable attitude pre-quels for the teenager she is likely to become.
But, overall, I'm so happy she was able to come stay with us and I'm so thankful she has parents who are willing to let her come.
Also, for the record, I got *much* less work done than normal last week (turns out, Mad-Libs, teethbrushing, boundary setting, supervising clothes-laying-out and lunch-packing, and general kid time mean I can't work even close to my normal hours). In other words, I'm in awe of lawyers with full-time children.
June 21, 2012
Why Women Still Can't Have It All
This Article is brilliant.
Yes, the majority of her analysis and discussion centers around women, careers, and balancing a family and how to raise children.
And yes, I've mentioned in the past that opting out of the child-rearing often leaves me feeling left out.
But, I've personally observed many of the realities Ms. Slaughter discusses in this article and I'm so pleased that she has brought them to the forefront of the conversation.
Much of my decision not to have children revolves around the reality that I just don't want to make the very real sacrifices that mothers have to make. To pretend these sacrifices don't exist is to fail to support the mothers (and fathers) making them.
No one can have it all. Our time is limited and our life is defined by the choices we make about what to do with our limited time.
Yes, the majority of her analysis and discussion centers around women, careers, and balancing a family and how to raise children.
And yes, I've mentioned in the past that opting out of the child-rearing often leaves me feeling left out.
But, I've personally observed many of the realities Ms. Slaughter discusses in this article and I'm so pleased that she has brought them to the forefront of the conversation.
Much of my decision not to have children revolves around the reality that I just don't want to make the very real sacrifices that mothers have to make. To pretend these sacrifices don't exist is to fail to support the mothers (and fathers) making them.
No one can have it all. Our time is limited and our life is defined by the choices we make about what to do with our limited time.
June 15, 2012
Mid-Year Mandarin Check In
Amongst other things, one of my New Year's Resolutions for 2012 was to study Mandarin.
From the start this has been the most enjoyable of all of the goals I set for myself this year. By March, I could laugh at simple jokes spoken in a language I'd never understood before, which has to be one of the greatest joys a human can experience.
I'm sad I didn't do this earlier. I was intimidated by the fact that Mandarin is a tonal language (which is true, and definitely one of the more difficult things about it), but I had no idea how many other wonderful things there were about the language that would more than make up for the difficulty of the tones.
First, the lack of conjugation is a serious gift to learners of Mandarin. Learn a new verb? Bam. You are done. You can confidently use it with with every subject in existence and, if you hear it, you know what it means. AWESOME!
Second, the San Francisco Bay area has so much Mandarin -- I had no idea. I have learned that every single ABC ("American Born Chinese") friend I have speaks more Mandarin than they'd ever let on. It's only when confronted with my terrible Mandarin that they correct me and hint as to just how much they know and understand while refusing to acknowledge a command of Mandarin.
Living in the Bay Area, I now know that I have the opportunity to listen and comprehend Mandarin every day. I stop and listen to Mandarin speakers on the radio, on public broadcast TV, and, more often, in the street and local stores, every day.
Third, and a completely new linguistic bonus of fun for me, Hanzi are like a constant crossword puzzle at every turn of my life in Northern California. I can't walk down the street or drive down any major thoroughfare without encountering characters. Every day I stop (when walking) stare, and try to derive some meaning from the few radicals and characters I know plus the context of where the sign is. Every day I think I discover one or more new "secrets" of this awesome code.
As someone who self-identifies as an auditory language learner, I had no idea I'd find learning the characters to be such a source of happiness. I can't help but wonder if this is how fun it was for me to learn to read as a child. Pure joy at recognition of written meaning is such a foreign concept to me at this point in my life. What a gift to reclaim it through Mandarin study!
So, suffice it to say, this goal is going well. Better than I expected. The almost mid-year check-in is as follows:
- I've completed 34 newbie lessons on Chinesepod.com including listening to the Show, the Audio Review, and Reviewing the written materials for each one. For a subset I can recognize all of the characters, but for the most part, with Chinesepod, I've focused on the auditory aspect.
-I can recognize and speak at least 100+ Mandarin words by sound alone and I can follow basic conversations about food, work, weekends, etc. Every week, I have a Mandarin night with my teacher and a good bi-lingual friend. Occasionally, we invite other bi-lingual speakers. The ability to interact on simple topics in Mandarin has been one of my strongest sources of pleasure in this endeavor.
-I can recognize and write 57 Hanzi characters (as of tonight), plus I can guess at the meanings of others based on radicals. I think I'd like to shoot for at least 200 by the year end. Ambitious, I know. But I think it's doable.
-Last week, I successfully hosted a party of bi-lingual Mandarin-English speakers and understood most of what was said in Mandarin, including jokes.
In short, this going better than I expected. Every restaurant I go to, I hear Mandarin -- that's just the demographic of my life. I hear it at In-N-Out, I hear it at Fiesta Del Mar, I hear it at the ramen joint. It's just a question of whether I understand it. Menus for Chinese restaurants, of course, are an additional welcome addition to the exposure. And, I recently learned the bonus of Japanese menus as well... turns out, the Kanji and Hanzi are close enough that I can read them and understand a bit, too.
Mandarin 2012 -- going well!
From the start this has been the most enjoyable of all of the goals I set for myself this year. By March, I could laugh at simple jokes spoken in a language I'd never understood before, which has to be one of the greatest joys a human can experience.
I'm sad I didn't do this earlier. I was intimidated by the fact that Mandarin is a tonal language (which is true, and definitely one of the more difficult things about it), but I had no idea how many other wonderful things there were about the language that would more than make up for the difficulty of the tones.
First, the lack of conjugation is a serious gift to learners of Mandarin. Learn a new verb? Bam. You are done. You can confidently use it with with every subject in existence and, if you hear it, you know what it means. AWESOME!
Second, the San Francisco Bay area has so much Mandarin -- I had no idea. I have learned that every single ABC ("American Born Chinese") friend I have speaks more Mandarin than they'd ever let on. It's only when confronted with my terrible Mandarin that they correct me and hint as to just how much they know and understand while refusing to acknowledge a command of Mandarin.
Living in the Bay Area, I now know that I have the opportunity to listen and comprehend Mandarin every day. I stop and listen to Mandarin speakers on the radio, on public broadcast TV, and, more often, in the street and local stores, every day.
Third, and a completely new linguistic bonus of fun for me, Hanzi are like a constant crossword puzzle at every turn of my life in Northern California. I can't walk down the street or drive down any major thoroughfare without encountering characters. Every day I stop (when walking) stare, and try to derive some meaning from the few radicals and characters I know plus the context of where the sign is. Every day I think I discover one or more new "secrets" of this awesome code.
As someone who self-identifies as an auditory language learner, I had no idea I'd find learning the characters to be such a source of happiness. I can't help but wonder if this is how fun it was for me to learn to read as a child. Pure joy at recognition of written meaning is such a foreign concept to me at this point in my life. What a gift to reclaim it through Mandarin study!
So, suffice it to say, this goal is going well. Better than I expected. The almost mid-year check-in is as follows:
- I've completed 34 newbie lessons on Chinesepod.com including listening to the Show, the Audio Review, and Reviewing the written materials for each one. For a subset I can recognize all of the characters, but for the most part, with Chinesepod, I've focused on the auditory aspect.
-I can recognize and speak at least 100+ Mandarin words by sound alone and I can follow basic conversations about food, work, weekends, etc. Every week, I have a Mandarin night with my teacher and a good bi-lingual friend. Occasionally, we invite other bi-lingual speakers. The ability to interact on simple topics in Mandarin has been one of my strongest sources of pleasure in this endeavor.
-I can recognize and write 57 Hanzi characters (as of tonight), plus I can guess at the meanings of others based on radicals. I think I'd like to shoot for at least 200 by the year end. Ambitious, I know. But I think it's doable.
-Last week, I successfully hosted a party of bi-lingual Mandarin-English speakers and understood most of what was said in Mandarin, including jokes.
In short, this going better than I expected. Every restaurant I go to, I hear Mandarin -- that's just the demographic of my life. I hear it at In-N-Out, I hear it at Fiesta Del Mar, I hear it at the ramen joint. It's just a question of whether I understand it. Menus for Chinese restaurants, of course, are an additional welcome addition to the exposure. And, I recently learned the bonus of Japanese menus as well... turns out, the Kanji and Hanzi are close enough that I can read them and understand a bit, too.
Mandarin 2012 -- going well!
June 4, 2012
Summer Rituals
It's that time of year again: We got our first sunburns a few weekends back. We planted the summer garden. We emptied the shed of the summer furniture. And we've already had a few BBQs.
But we *really* know it's summer (despite the fact that it's raining today), because this weekend, we finished the one summer ritual that never fails to materialize:
We know we can finally welcome in summer when E, the great wasp warrior, sprays liquid death upon the nest that they build *every year* right at our front door.
Also, yes, we finally admitted that we *have* to get a new roof. (We are hopeful it will proceed on a slightly faster schedule than the bathroom remodel.)
But we *really* know it's summer (despite the fact that it's raining today), because this weekend, we finished the one summer ritual that never fails to materialize:
We know we can finally welcome in summer when E, the great wasp warrior, sprays liquid death upon the nest that they build *every year* right at our front door.
Also, yes, we finally admitted that we *have* to get a new roof. (We are hopeful it will proceed on a slightly faster schedule than the bathroom remodel.)
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